Can starch be a key ingredient for bioplastics?

You’ll find it in potatoes, bread, and rice, and maybe in a freshly ironed shirt.

Now researchers from the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) are examining how starch could be a key ingredient in a new generation of bioplastics.

Backed by a $780,000 Linkage Project grant from the Australian Research Council (ARC), Professor Andrew Whittaker will lead a study into starch processing methods and how they might be harnessed to create new and advanced materials. 

Starch is a carbohydrate commonly found in nature and one of the primary sources of food energy for human beings.

Professor Whittaker says it is also an attractive alternative to petroleum-based plastics in many applications, including packaging adhesives.

“However, the complex nature of starch and tendency to degrade during processing pose significant challenges to developing advanced adhesives,” he said.

“The goal is to gain a deep understanding of how starch changes during processing at a molecular level, and how additives influence these changes.”

Professor Whittaker is a senior group leader at the AIBN whose research specialises in polymer chemistry for health and energy applications. 

His grant was one of 56 to be awarded in the latest ARC Linkage Round for projects that promote national and international partnerships between researchers and business, industry, and community organisations.

He says his project – which will be carried out in collaboration with Professor Janis Matisons of Intertape Polymer Group - will also study a novel processing method for starch, and its effect on starch structure, which remains unexplored.

“This project has potential to generate valuable IP, produce new environmentally sustainable materials, and contribute to the growth of bioplastics industries in Australia,” Professor Whittaker said.

Also joining the project will be UQ Emeritus Professor Robert Gilbert, AIBN researcher Dr Hui Peng, and Dr Bernadine Flanagan from UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI).

Associate Professor Bin Luo to help deliver LIEF project

Another AIBN name to feature in the latest round of ARC grant announcements is research group leader Associate Professor Bin Luo. 

He will assist in delivering a $461,000 Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) project led out of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), which is investigating gas evolution mechanisms in energy systems.

Researchers led by UTS Professor Hao Liu will combine the technology of differential electrochemical mass spectrometry with in-situ Raman/FTIR investigation to collect information on adsorbed species, reaction products, and intermediates on a short timescale.

Associate Professor Luo is an ARC Future Fellow and joint appointment with the UQ School of Chemical Engineering who specialises in functional materials for electrochemical energy storage applications.