Harvard's solution for plastic: Make it from shrimp shells

If you’re going grocery shopping at a supermarket in India, it’s likely that you will be charged extra if you want to get a plastic bag from the store. The idea behind it seems to be discouraging people from buying plastic bags and to reduce dependence on something that is seen detrimental to the environment. Plastic is made out of petroleum, it doesn’t break down into simple compounds and is a major pollutant. But all that could soon change, thanks to researchers at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute who have manged to create plastic made from shrimp shells which degrades faster and is not bad for the environment. The Harvard  Gazette reports_,_ “the new bioplastic is isolated from shrimp shells. It’s made from chitosan, a form of chitin — the second-most abundant organic material on Earth.” The report also adds that it is found abundantly in the “shells of crustaceans, the armorlike cuticles of insects, and even the flexible wings of butterflies”. Discarded Chitin is often used in fertilizer or makeup. [caption id=“attachment_1515793” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Image from Harvard website.[/caption] Researchers combined Chitin with and  fibroin protein from silk to make Shrilk which was then converted into plastic. The new bioplastic material is much more environment friendly as it takes only weeks to degrade. In addition, this piece on PolicyMic, reports, “It actually releases nutrients into the environment as it breaks down. Researchers have been able to grow a plant in soil that is enriched with chitosan, demonstrating how man-made garbage can actually contribute to the environment.” Another question that is often asked when it comes to new kinds of alternatives for plastics is whether the alternative can be mass manufactured, and more importantly at a low cost. The report on Harvard Gazette says, that it can be used to make “large, 3-D objects with complex shapes using traditional casting or injection-molding techniques”. Given that environmental pollution has become a major concern, plastic made out of shrimp shells sounds like an novel and much needed solution.