July 2010 - Swinburne University of Technology
July 2010 - Swinburne University of Technology
July 2010 - Swinburne University of Technology
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swinburne JULY <strong>2010</strong><br />
SUSTAINABILITY<br />
12<br />
HUMBLE SHELLFISH<br />
MAY GIVE US<br />
‘vanishing plastic’<br />
A truly biodegradable plastic made from a renewable resource, arguably one <strong>of</strong> the more<br />
practical waste-management goals being pursued around the world, is a step closer<br />
through the research <strong>of</strong> two Australian PhD students BY CLARISA COLLIS<br />
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR Enzo Palombo<br />
fingers a plastic bag labelled as ‘degradable’:<br />
“… in 5000 years,” he quips, before shifting<br />
his focus to the slightly silkier texture <strong>of</strong> a<br />
true biodegradable plastic bag.<br />
It’s all in the rustle – one <strong>of</strong> the only<br />
things that immediately distinguishes a<br />
biodegradable plastic bag from a regular<br />
plastic bag.<br />
Biodegradable plastic bags are still<br />
a rarity and a long way from replacing<br />
the tough conventional plastic variety<br />
manufactured from non-renewable resources.<br />
It is this toughness, or durability, that still<br />
makes conventional bags the norm and a<br />
worsening environmental headache. Plastic<br />
packaging accounts for up to 25 per cent <strong>of</strong><br />
Australia’s municipal landfill.<br />
Researchers at <strong>Swinburne</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Technology</strong> believe science might <strong>of</strong>fer a<br />
solution.<br />
The university is supporting two research<br />
projects investigating bioplastics: one into the<br />
use <strong>of</strong> ingredients from renewable sources,<br />
and another into the properties <strong>of</strong> biopolymers<br />
that determine their ‘compostability’.<br />
The two projects have brought together<br />
<strong>Swinburne</strong> PhD students Suchetana<br />
Chattopadhyay and Cameron Way, who are<br />
examining the properties <strong>of</strong> bioplastics as<br />
part <strong>of</strong> their respective PhD studies.<br />
The Director <strong>of</strong> <strong>Swinburne</strong>’s Environment<br />
and Biotechnology Centre, Associate<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Palombo, is co-supervisor for both<br />
students and describes their work as among<br />
the most exciting applied projects he has<br />
encountered during his 20-year research<br />
career.<br />
He says much <strong>of</strong> the excitement at<br />
the university has been generated by a<br />
composting machine (respirometer), which<br />
allows students to gauge how a project’s<br />
applications function in real time, over the<br />
course <strong>of</strong> an experiment.<br />
Anchored to a bench at <strong>Swinburne</strong>’s<br />
Hawthorn campus with heavy chains,<br />
the jumble <strong>of</strong> glass jars and tubes that<br />
form the composting machine is used by<br />
Ms Chattopadhyay to test novel, chitin-based<br />
polymers.<br />
Chitin is the world’s second-most<br />
abundant natural polymer and is mostly<br />
derived from shellfish waste, but also<br />
includes the exoskeletons <strong>of</strong> crustaceans,<br />
insects and spiders.<br />
In collaboration with an industry partner,<br />
Ms Chattopadhyay has provided the first