Dr. Fernandez, formerly from MIT and Harvard, has produced a new bioplastic isolated from shrimp shells. It’s made from chitosan, a form of chitin — the second-most abundant organic material on Earth. The manufacturing process is scaleable and introduces a 100% biodegradable alternative to synthetic plastic.
Though this example as-is is bio-utilization but it is included because it has the potential to become a biomimetic solution if the researchers can figure out how to manufacture 'chitin' sustainably.
Principal Investigator: Assistant Professor Javier Fernandez, The Fermart Lab @ SUTD, Singapore
Read more: Insect inspired bioplastic or Promising solution to plastic
