Bright IDEAS Award: High strength starch based plastics

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The research idea is to develop a range of bioplastics derived from 'grey' starch, a waste product generated by the food industry. Previous EPSRC funded research has identified a range of natural, biodegradeble and inexpensive additives which can produce novel blown foams when added to starch. The materials have truly unique properties which are enabled due to the use of salts as the binding agents. Preliminary studies have shown that alternatives additives and processing techniques can generate hard transparent plastics which have hitherto been impossible to achieve with starch. The so-called 'salt modified starch' could offer the first opportunity for bioplastics to potentially compete with oil-based plastics both on cost and mechanical properties while at the same time winning out on sustainability and environmental impact criteria.The aim of this project is to undertake further research to develop and formulate the conditions required to make rigid, transparent starch-based plastics. The project will also attempt to make the first monophase starch composites with cellulose acetate rendering the materials water stable. We wish to evaluate the mechanical and physical properties of these bioplastics and to produce test samples for evaluation in a variety of applications. Unlike conventional oil-based plastics the starch based materials are fully compostable. As part of the research project we wish to evaluate the time frame and conditions of decomposition these new materials.