Flexible packaging formed from crab shells and trees

Researchers have created a material derived from crab shells and tree fibers that has the potential to replace flexible plastic packaging used to keep food fresh. The material is made by spraying multiple layers of chitin from crab shells and cellulose from trees to form a flexible film similar to plastic packaging film.
Packaging meant to preserve food needs to prevent oxygen from passing through. Part of the reason the new material improves upon conventional plastic packaging as a gas barrier is because of the crystalline structure of the film. An article about the research is published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering (News Item Georgia Institute of Technology, 23 July 2018).
Click here for the news item.
Click here for an abstract of the published article.

This news item is also included in our monthly overview, the NVC Members-only Update. If you have any questions, please contact us: info@nvc.nl, +31-(0)182-512411.