February 11, 2023, 7:10 AM
February 11, 2023, 7:10 AM
5 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year. There are 10 million bags every minute and 70% of them end up in the environment. The plastic with which they are made is estimated to take between 100 to 1,000 years to decompose.
Plastic pollution is a visible danger that affects all communities around the world. This is what the ecological footprint refers to, an indicator of sustainability used internationally.
Aware of this reality, Michelle Gisbert and Karen Villarroel, students of the Biochemistry and Pharmacy course at the Franz Tamayo University – Unifranz, decided to resort to the bioplastic as a friendly option when replacing plastic bags. It is a solution easy production and shorter degradation time.
Bioplastics are a type of plastics made from biodegradable organic materials. “We were inspired by the purpose of creating a product that in the future may be able to replace common plastic, since it contributes to a great extent to climate change by contaminating our habitat and wildlife in general,” says Karen, when presenting the end result of the project. Use the banana or banana peel as the main resource.
The banana is a fruit of all seasons, with a high vitamin and mineral content. Its shell, which is usually discarded after consuming the fruit, is the vital element that inspires the students to produce bioplastic.
“We decided to use banana because it is a fruit with a very affordable price and high consumption in the population (..) It is the basis of the project that seeks imitate plastic, but since it is not produced from petroleum, is a friendly solution to take care of our ecosystem”, mentions Michelle.
The similarity of the consistency resistant and elastic is in the starch that contains the shell of the plantain, say the researchers. The task begins with the dehydration of the shell, to later be crushed, weighed and with millimeter rigor, mixed with corn starch (cornstarch), distilled water and glycerin.
The mixture is brought to 70°C to emulsify. The still liquid emulsion is filtered twice and then spread on a flat, non-stick surface to dry. Karen, indicates that the thickness of the laminate can contribute to the resistance of the material.
One of the main goals of the designers is to be able to industrialize bioplastic. “It would be a great achievement. for us. With this we could gradually replace the use of plastic and reduce pollution”, they conclude when presenting the result.
Cochabamba concentrates about 71% of the national banana production. The main cultivation municipalities are Puerto Villarroel, Villa Tunari, Chimoré, Entre Ríos and Shinahota. In La Paz, the Yungas is the region that concentrates 25% of its production, according to data from the Bolivian Institute of Foreign Trade (IBCE).
Daniel Pinto, director of the Biochemistry and Pharmacy course at Unifranz values the research of the students. “It is important produce knowledge that develops skills that become a benefit to humanity and the planet, that is to say, to generate true agents of change”.
The project responds to one of the objectives set by the United Nations. Point 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) proposes gguarantee sustainable consumption and production patterns.
The bioplastic proposal seeks to reduce the use, production and consumption of plastic, create a new alternative and encourage the use of new materials that reduce environmental impact.
