Figure 1
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Team 06
Team Members |
Faculty Advisor |
Alexa Norquist |
Prof. Luyi Sun Sponsor US EPA |
sponsored by
Design of Aerobic Biodegradation Assay for Evaluating Compostable Packaging Films
Plastic pollution is one of the greatest environmental threats according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with packaging accounting for 40% of global plastic waste. While environmentally sustainable packaging options exist, these alternatives come with their own challenges that prevent them from completely replacing plastic. These challenges include high energy and resource costs, poor durability and barrier performance, lack of water-resistance, and scalability issues that must be addressed in order to compete against conventional plastic. Our design project proposes a solution in the form of compostable packaging films that incorporates a novel nanosheet coating process recently developed by the Sun Lab. These nanosheet-coated films exhibit exceptional mechanical and barrier properties and can be assembled at low-cost and large-scale, making them a promising substitute for plastic if they can be proven 100% compostable. Our goal was to build a compost test system to evaluate the compostability of these films. To do this, we first designed a lab-scale biodegradation test station in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials standards. We then began a 45-day test trial of our sample films, regularly monitoring temperature, moisture, and carbon dioxide levels—required measurements for assessing compostability. Although our results showed that our samples were not compostable, our test station will remain in the lab to assess future iterations of these films. Demonstrating the compostable properties of these films would provide leverage for investments in their large-scale production and commercialization, directly addressing the plastic pollution problem by providing a competitive sustainable packaging alternative.