Together, Tianzheng Liu and Sha Jin form a forceful research pair. Inspired by the ocean’s unique ecosystem, they came up with a revolutionary process of turning food waste into biodegradable plastic. This exciting new method offers an immediate answer to one of our most urgent issues—food waste. As estimated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this waste accounts for 30% to 40% of the food available in our country. The study was recently published in Bioresource Technology. It represents an important step in addressing environmental justice and the global plastic crisis.
Our expedition started back when Sha Jin first developed a passion for the issue of food waste in 2022. Rooted in this new passion, he began researching how to transform unwanted food into beneficial products. Liu has been looking forward to graduating with his Ph.D. this fall. His award-winning experience in biomedical research with an emphasis on stem cells adds immeasurable value to the complex project. Under the leadership of faculty, including Professor Sha Jin and SUNY Distinguished Professor and Chair Kaiming Ye, they set forth on a quest. Their vision was to produce a sustainable, greener substitute for traditional plastics.
The Research Process
The academic research team used the food waste supplied by Sodexo and Binghamton University Dining Services to inform their experiments. Microplastics degradation In the study, they used Cupriavidus necator bacteria. These bacteria were then fed lactic acid produced from food waste, supplemented with additional ammonium sulfate. By adapting this bioconversion process to a bacterial culture, the bacteria were able to produce the PHA biopolymers, which are a form of biodegradable plastic.
Remarkably, bacteria are capable of producing upwards of 90% of the PHA. We can largely harvest this PHA and engineer it into multiple biodegradable products, such as packaging materials. This high yield points to an exciting future for sustainable plastic alternatives created from organic waste. The study’s authors noted that food waste has potential to be kept for up to one week. This extended storage period will not negatively impact the bioconversion process, which proves the feasibility of this option at industrial scale.
Addressing Food Waste and Environmental Impact
The environmental, not to mention geopolitical, ramifications of this research are huge. Each year, billions of pounds of food waste decompose in landfills, releasing harmful greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Liu and Jin’s approach industrially biodegrades food waste into a novel, reusable biodegradable plastic. Beyond reducing their landfill impact, this advancement significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with the outdated method of producing plastics.
Liu and Jin’s project seeks to answer some important questions about the food-to-plastic conversion process. So far, they’ve shown that their bioconversion method provides flexibility for industrial large-scale collection, which is critical in industrial contexts. WARNING ⚠️ Sha Jin is committed to bringing this innovative process to a much larger scale. The emphasis is on keeping it working, no matter what the increasing production pressure is.
Future Prospects
As the study continues, Liu and Jin are looking forward to positive outcomes. They want their approach to have the biggest impact possible by transforming the way society produces and consumes plastics. The capacity to recycle food waste to create sustainable materials has the potential to leave a profound positive impact on lessening environmental degradation and shifting towards global sustainability.