Insects that end up on plastics

Valencian researchers are developing a system that uses insects to accelerate the degradation of plastics used to market food. The aim is to prevent the majority of these products from going to an incineration plant or being deposited in a landfill.

The project is coordinated by the Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (a research center of the University of Valencia and CSIC) and has the participation of the Technological Plastics Institute (Aimplas) and Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence.

The Valencia Innovation Agency (AVI) awarded 530,000 euros to the project. The system is being tested in multi-layer packaging (containers with several layers of different materials to better protect food) and takes advantage of the action of moth, insect and grasshopper larvae and microorganisms in their guts to accelerate the degradation of polyethylene. PET and polyurethane, three types of plastics commonly used in the agri-food industry.

Those responsible for the project (called Entomoplast) state that this innovative system for the use of insects “aims to facilitate the recycling of multilayer packaging based on thin layers of different plastics, characterized by the combination of various laminated materials to obtain a container, sealing, structural and heat resistance or printing. with unique features such as the possibility of These advantages have led to the proliferation of such packaging in the food industry, which should always guarantee the protection and safety of food.

However, recycling of such packaging is very costly and complex as it requires the separation of each of the layers that make up the packaging. Paul Ferrero, the project’s principal investigator and Aimplas member, emphasizes that this system allows for “more efficient” recycling of plastics, thanks to the movement of the larvae. The Valencia research is being conducted with a larval species that also allows plastic to be converted into biopolymers and high value-added bioadditives.

Source: Informacion

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