We Can Make Sustainable Plastics... From Shrimp?

Believe it or not, the answer is “yes.” So before you go chucking those tails after your next shrimp cocktail, think again. In probably the most innovative news I've heard all week, a team of researchers from Harvard’s University’s Wyss Institute released findings that they have created an eco-friendly manufacturing process in which they can craft everyday objects using a plastic derived from shrimp shells.

This is a significant development in the world of manufacturing as the environmental trouble created by the overwhelming use (and disuse) of plastics is increasingly acknowledged, particularly in our oceans. Indeed, we recently wrote about how one innovative company is helping to reduce ocean debris through a line of carpet made from discarded fisherman’s nets. However, as unique as this idea is, the Harvard team’s reverse approach to taking natural "debris" and turning it into plastic is truly amazing.

As news release from Wyss points out, shrimp tails today are widely thrown away or simply used in fertilizers, and very little else. Essentially, the team has replaced other standard base materials for creating plastic, like the plant-derived cellulose, with the chitosan that makes up the tough exterior of crustaceans. Until now, bioplastics engineers have been unable to effectively leverage the material to build three-dimensional shapes, but to demonstrate their intellectual savvy the Wyss Institute team fabricated a number of chess pieces.

“Depending on the fabrication method, you either get a chitosan material that is brittle and opaque, and therefore not usable, or tough and transparent, which is what we were after,” reported Postdoctoral Fellow Javier Fernandez.

But I haven’t even gotten to arguably the coolest part yet. As the video below shows, the plastic is fully biodegradable. Simply throw it in some good ol’ dirt, let mother nature have at it, and within a month’s time, it will have fully composted back into the Earth. What’s more, during the breakdown process, the chitosan actually released nutrients that support plant growth.

Just imagine if the billions of plastic toys created every year that wind up in landfills only weeks after being opened could fully compost into, well, hearty compost! The possibilities for the shrimpy application are literally endless.

Interested in reading about the incredible nitty, gritty details of the process? You can find out more at Wyss here.