Dr Anjum Nawab, a Pakistani scientist and assistant professor at the University of Karachi, announced yesterday that he had generated a bioplastic using the mango kernel.
The bioplastic obtained is easily degradable and does not pose any threat to the environment, marine and plant ecosystems.
In an interview with a national private TV, Nawab he said “Pakistan is in the top places in the world for mango production, so my research has had a conservative approach. I wanted to exploit a widely available raw material and the bioplastic obtained has gratified my long work ".
With the improvements made starting from the first formula obtained also in different studies from sugar plants, the bioplastic obtained can be used to make envelopes capable of being composted in the soil. A bit like food waste, or it can dissolve in just a few minutes in hot water.
More than a formula, a process
Nawab's studies are also applicable to waste from other fruits. The next stages of testing will aim to find an even better balance. The aim is to help plastics producers as well as farmers to simultaneously cut costs for them and the environment, enhancing food waste and products that are otherwise finished with waste.
“The whole process, starting from the generation of bioplastics based on the mango kernel to the manufacture of these special envelopes, is sustainable. From an environmental point of view, there are neither risks nor manufacturing waste ", keep it going Nawab. “This research can also have a great working impact. Pakistan is a country full of talented professionals who can successfully contribute to the creation of a real new industry ".
Pakistan is imposing a ban on the use of polyethylene bags to combat environmental damage, and will turn this need into a great green solution if it pushes in the direction of bioplastics.
On the other hand, nothing is thrown away from fruit.
Photos: Pakistan Today
