The thin, delicate film between Antonia Ebert’s tweezers is tricky to see – let alone imagine as the future of packaging and wrapping.
But this material could very well be a new commercial frontier for bioplastics, as well as an extremely effective way to prevent harmful gases from entering the atmosphere.
By feeding waste gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane to certain bacteria, Antonia and her fellow researchers at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) are able to produce bioplastics that break down naturally in the environment. Stay on top of our industry news and developments, events and opportunities, by joining The NetworkJoin The Network
Antonia’s current project – the focus of her MPhil studies with Professor Esteban Marcellin – involves using the bacterial organism Hydrogenophaga pseudoflava to produce natural biodegradable polymers called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs).
“We feed waste gas to the bacteria inside a bioreactor, and what we eventually get is a polymer that we can stretch out into a film,” Antonia says.
“Obviously you can’t wrap many things with this small piece here. But if my research continues as planned, I will hopefully develop a platform for carbon sequestration into bioplastics at a wider scale.”
Much of the work done by Antonia and the wider UQ Biosustainability Hub team revolves around harnessing biological processes to produce fuels, chemicals, ingredients, and other biomaterials in a more sustainable way.
The ‘BioHub’ – the first of its kind in Australia – aims to provide a one-stop-shop for industry wanting to partner with our research teams to create carbon neutral and economically viable products.
Antonia’s project certainly fits in this space: both mitigating the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere while creating innovative, green products.
“Few processes for PHA production have been commercialised so far, which is often due to the economic unviability, mainly associated to high substrate costs and relatively low product value,” she says.
“I believe combining gas fermentation and production of PHA together with a higher value compound will enhance economic feasibility of bioplastics production.”
You can read more about the UQ Biosustainability hub here.
