Project News: Testing new additives for biopolymers
Part of the ongoing work within the SEALIVE project is to engineer novel bio-based plastic formulas. The team is experimenting with various strains of microalgae to produce biopolymers for bio-plastic production. As biopolymers are engineered to degrade when in contact with microorganisms, testing their stability is an important aspect of this work.
Researchers from Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Czech Republic, are working on this and have been testing different additives to be added to the biopolymers in order to adjust their properties. The team has been experimenting with various natural compounds to increase the stability and control their biodegradability.
A lot more research is to be done and this work will continue until the third year of the project.
Many thanks to Marek Koutný and colleagues at Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Czech Republic for sharing their news and images from the laboratory.
Published 18/09/2020 | Last edited 25/02/2021