Jellyfish‐Based Plastic. (29th April 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Steinberger, Liron Reshef; Gulakhmedova, Tamilla; Barkay, Zahava; Gozin, Michael; Richter, Shachar
• Is Part Of: Advanced sustainable systems. Volume 3:Number 7(2019)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2019-04-29
• Subjects: biopolymers -- collagen -- jellyfish -- mucin -- pseudospherulites; Sustainable living -- Periodicals; Sustainability -- Periodicals; Green technology -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 628
• DOI: 10.1002/adsu.201900016
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2366-7486

Abstract

Abstract: The quest for alternative materials replacing fossil‐based plastics is of great importance due to their damage to the environment. In this context, protein‐based plastic materials may provide an alternative solution to this problem. These can be easily harvested and produced in a biodegradable form and, often produced from renewable resources. In this work, the use of jellyfish (JF)‐based biomass to produce plastics is suggested. This biomass comprises a significant amount of proteins such as Q‐mucin and collage that can be easily extracted by means of green technology. Also, there is a considerable need to use JF as a renewable resource since, during the last decades, JF has become an ecological disturbance worldwide. Here, a new route to exploit JF biomass to form biodegradable bioplastics is demonstrated. These materials are easy to produce, and their mechanical properties can be tuned by blending the JF biomass with biodegradable cross‐linkers that are also generated from renewable resources. Inspection of the plastics morphology reveals that it is composed of an unprecedented pseudospherulitic structure, which affects the materials' mechanical properties. Abstract : The use of jellyfish biomass as the main ingredient for the production of biodegradable plastic is demonstrated. These materials are easy to produce, and their mechanical properties can be tuned by blending of the jellyfish biomass (which contains collagen and mucin proteins) with additional biodegradable cross‐linkers that are also produced from renewable resources.