Manufacturing of everyday objects using bioplastic from shrimp shells

Researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute USA have developed a method to carry out large-scale manufacturing of everyday objects using a fully degradable bioplastic isolated from shrimp shells.
Most bioplastics are made from cellulose, a plant-based polysaccharide material. The researchers developed their bioplastic from chitosan, a form of chitin, which is a powerful player in the world of natural polymers and the second most abundant organic material on earth. Chitin is a long-chain polysaccharide that is responsible for the hardy shells of for example shrimps. An article about the research is published in Macromolecular Materials & Engineering (Press Release Wyss Institute, 3 March 2014).
Click here for the press release.
Click here for an abstract of the published article.

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