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Category: News

PHA-based microbeads biologically degrade in wastewater treatment facilities

Kat Gilmore on September 7, 2021


A diverse ecosystem of microinvertebrates and -fauna was witnessed by researchers at the UGA New Materials Institute during recent field and laboratory studies to evaluate the degradation of cosmetic microbeads made from a polyhydroxyalkanoate, or PHA, polymer developed at the Institute. In the upper-right corner of this video, you can see a reddish-colored worm, or nematode. Smaller organisms are seen moving elsewhere within the microbeads and wastewater. As these organisms consume the carbon-based material, their digestive and metabolic processes degrade the microbeads ultimately into CO2. Microbeads in this study degraded in 15 weeks in laboratory conditions, and 13 weeks in field conditions, resulting in no micronized plastic particles. This video (magnified at 4X) was captured on day 62 of the respirometry studies conducted in the Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory.

Technology developed by the UGA New Materials Institute

Manufacturers of single-use personal care items—like body washes, toothpastes, cosmetics and wipes—that have historically contained environmentally-persistent abrasives can utilize a new drop-in technology with confidence that the new materials will biologically degrade in wastewater conditions, resulting in no micronized plastics. In a first-of-its kind study, research from the University of Georgia New Materials Institute demonstrates that cosmetic microbeads made from a naturally derived polymer—polyhydroxyalkanoates, or PHAs—developed by researchers at the Institute reached complete biological degradation in 15 weeks or less in municipal wastewater.

The study is the first to cross-examine the biological degradation of PHA materials in both a field and laboratory setting. The microbeads reached 90% conversion to carbon dioxide after 15 weeks in controlled laboratory studies when compared to the cellulose control, indicating complete degradation of the microbead product within the time limit set for the study. In field tests, the microbeads degraded in 13 weeks.

“Numerous and diverse types of invertebrates and microfauna were observed inhabiting the microbead environment, suggesting the PHA microbeads supported healthy microbial biomass production as organisms consumed the microbeads,” said Evan White, first author on the study and director of the Institute’s Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory. “Most of the carbon from the microbead metabolized to CO2, and some was converted into the bodies of organisms in this vibrant ecosystem which can be seen in supporting microscopy videos.”

PHA microbeads day 6 of respirometry study.
A red nematode can be seen in the microscopic images captured on days 6 (above) and 37 (below) of laboratory studies. Nematodes were among a diverse ecosystem of microinvertebrates and -fauna witnessed by researchers at the UGA New Materials Institute during recent field and laboratory studies to evaluate the degradation of cosmetic microbeads made from a polyhydroxyalkanoate, or PHA, polymer developed at the Institute.
PHA microbeads day 37 of respirometry study.

Historically, personal care items made from environmentally-persistent materials have led to millions of micronized plastic particles escaping into the environment—daily—from wastewater reclamation facilities of varying age, technologies and filtration standards. This accumulation of plastic particles in sewage systems results in increased maintenance costs and system downtime, as well as costly capital improvements to wastewater infrastructure. Globally, the discharge of these micronized plastics into our streams and oceans has led to localized and regional bans on plastic microbeads, including in the United States in 2015.

In their study, the UGA-led research team said that PHA-based compostable materials are a better choice for manufacturers to use in products that are likely to end up in wastewater. Sewage sludge, said the authors, is naturally rich in microorganisms that have evolved to secrete enzymes that digest PHAs, a class of naturally derived polyesters.

PHA microbeads day 1 of respirometry study.
Digital microscopy of microbead biological degradation, from slide samples, under controlled respirometry. These images were taken on day 1 and day 63 of the studies. By day 63, the microbeads appear to have been reduced to a translucent shell.
PHA microbeads day 63 of respirometry study.

The researchers used field and laboratory settings to compare the degradation rates of PHA microbeads, PHA films and polylactide (PLA) films to cellulose controls. Field testing was conducted in a controlled setting at an operational wastewater reclamation facility in Athens, Georgia, with samples withdrawn over 13 weeks during the spring of 2019. Pulled samples were analyzed by Raman microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis/mass spectroscopy (TGA/MS), combined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to determine biological degradation outcomes of the microbeads. To validate results from the field testing, activated sludge from this facility was used as inoculum for controlled respirometry studies in the Institute’s Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory.

These analytical methods are complementary, for a thorough review of the biological degradation of PHA materials, the authors noted. Respirometry provides a precise chemical signature of biological degradation of the microbeads to CO2; Raman microscopy measures PHA disappearance over time using spectroscopy; TGA/MS-DSC measures the polymer disappearance via a chemically specific thermal degradation product and correlative thermal transitions associated with PHA.

This is the first study to document biological degradation of PHAs in laboratory and field conditions using the final form of a product intended for commercial use. The microbeads tested are the first product tested to meet the Institute’s rigid Bioseniatic™ criteria, which includes respirometry to document microbial digestion; field degradation testing of the product; and absence of detectable micronized particles at the end of complete biological digestion in a respirometer, said White.

“Comparative Study of the Biological Degradation of Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-3-Hydroxyhexanoate) Microbeads in Municipal Wastewater in Environmental and Controlled Laboratory Conditions” was published by Environmental Science & Technology on Aug. 12, 2021. Co-authors on the study are Jessica Horn, Shunli Wang, Benjamin Crawford, Branson W. Ritchie, Daniel Carraway and Jason Locklin. RWDC Industries supplied the microbeads and PHA films. Funding for this work was provided by the RWDC Environmental Stewardship Foundation and the Walmart Foundation.

New composite material has potential for medical use

Kat Gilmore on July 26, 2021

Professor Gajanan Bhat holds an elastic non woven material inside his lab at Riverbend Research Labs North.

University of Georgia researchers have developed a new material with properties ideal for medical products such as masks and bandages. It’s also better for the environment than the materials in current use.

Using nonwoven fabrics—fabrics produced by bonding fiber without weaving or knitting—the team led by Gajanan Bhat was able to make composite materials that are stretchable, breathable and absorbent, properties ideal for medical products. Incorporating cotton also makes the resulting material comfortable on the skin (an important factor in medical applications) and easier to compost, hence more sustainable compared to similar products currently in the market.

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CB2 looks forward: Membership growth, expanded research scope, greater opportunity

Kat Gilmore on May 21, 2021

Logo for CB2

Current project updates, seed concept pitches for 2022, and the future direction of the Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites were all in focus as the Center, an Industry & University Cooperative Research Center funded by the National Science Foundation, held its virtual spring Industry Advisory Board meeting in May. The UGA New Materials Institute serves as one of four university research sites for CB2, along with Washington State University, Iowa State University, and North Dakota State University.

CB2 leadership told members they currently await approval on a grant proposal, submitted late fall to the NSF, to elevate all four sites and the Center to a Phase II research cooperative. A Phase II IUCRC requires a larger industry consortium, which will yield a wider range of projects for annual consideration, thereby increasing opportunities for researchers and students, along with the output of shared intellectual property benefitting IAB member companies. CB2 expects an answer from the NSF later this spring.

Experiential learning

For students, CB2 opens doors to research experiences, professional mentorships, and potentially future jobs, working in collaboration with scientists and product developers from some of the biggest names in industry: Amazon, Ford, John Deere, ADM, Kimberly-Clark, 3M, BASF, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sherwin-Williams, AkzoNobel,Danimer Scientific, NatureWorks, RWDC Industries, and Avery Dennison, among others. When funded as a Phase II IUCRC, CB2 will expand its scope to include recycling/circularity and end-of-life scenarios for materials—both research strengths at the UGA New Materials Institute. Industry’s need to resolve problems in recycling streams and to increase circularity in their material supply chains was reflected in some of the projects pitched by IAB members.

Overall, 14 seed concepts were pitched and will be further defined through the coming weeks by IAB members and researchers. The IAB will vote this fall on what projects to fund for 2022. The seed concepts range from exploring new materials for coatings, packaging and textiles; to characterizing the properties of new polymer sources to gain a better understanding of potential applications for these materials; to improving the quality of materials that enter recycling streams by reducing contamination, and through better screening of the materials in these streams.

UGA project updates

In updates on existing projects, UGA researchers again got good feedback from IAB members on the progress made thus far and the plans toward completion of their projects, which are:

“Unlocking the Potential of Bidegradable Xylan-based Polymer Materials,” led by Breanna Urbanowicz, an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, who researches the structure and functionality of plant carbohydrate active enzymes. The first two years of this project were dedicated to exploring the potential of xylans, and later mannans, and the best routes to functionalize these polymers.  Now in year 3, the team is exploring catalysts, investigating functionalization for upstream and downstream uses, and continuing to build its saccharide library. Xylans and mannans are two of the most abundant polymers in nature and in agricultural waste streams.

“Investigating the Enzymatic Degradability of Glycolic-Urethane Linkages,” led by Evan White, an assistant research scientist and director of the New Material Institute’s Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory. This project, in its second year, aims to develop a rapid screening assay to evaluate materials for their ability to be deconstructed by enzymes at the end of their useful life, which may analyze hundreds of candidate materials compared to selective and time intensive in vitro testing such as respirometry or disintegration. White’s team has honed a test to provide reliable data within 8 hours. The team will validate the rapid screening assay with concomitant analyses such as respirometry, and aims to publish the analytical method to help expedite the discovery of new compostable materials.

“Life Cycle Assessment Tool for Sustainable Bio-based Coating Material Design,” led by Ke Li, an associate professor based in the College of Engineering. This is the first LCA tool to be developed for CB2’s IAB. To date, results from LCAs have been contradictory for the environmental benefit of bio-based plastics, making it difficult for manufacturers to thoroughly evaluate a proposed material’s overall sustainability and compare it to the overall life cycles of other materials. In the early months of his project, Li identified factors that have historically contributed to uncertainty in LCAs of bio-based materials, and identified various hot spots for different bio-based products.  In the months ahead, he will develop an approach to quantify the uncertainty and collect the data accordingly to reduce the uncertainty of LCA and develop a streamline tool for industries of bio-based plastics.

“Investigation of the Marine Degradability of Polymers of Interest to IAB Members,” led by Dr. Branson W. Ritchie, a Distinguished Research Professor who leads the UGA Infectious Diseases Laboratory and heads Technology Development and Implementation for the New Materials Institute. This project will start in mid-year 2021 and involves both respirometry and field testing.

The UGA New Materials Institute’s participation as a research site for CB2 is supported by NSF Award #1841319.

Study: PBG-PLA blends are less brittle, degrade faster in industrial composting

Kat Gilmore on March 9, 2021

AFM image (3D height) of 15% PBG + 85% PLA, from UGA New Materials Institute.
AFM image (3D height) of 15% PBG + 85% PLA, courtesy of the Locklin Group at the UGA New Materials Institute.

Manufacturers that utilize polylactic acid (PLA) in products and packaging are well aware of the polymer’s drawbacks, including brittleness and slow degradation at end-of-life. Researchers the University of Georgia’s New Materials Institute have found a way to overcome these negatives of working with PLA, by blending the material with cost-effective poly(butylene glutarate) (PBG). The results of their new study offer manufacturers an alternative to utilizing petroleum-based additives that also improves upon the mechanical properties of PLA, and the PBG-PLA blends degrade at a faster rate in an industrial composting setting.

READ THE STUDY

What do you know about composting? Take UGA’s survey by March 31.

Kat Gilmore on February 19, 2021

Do you compost food or gardening waste? Do you know what compostable certification labels look like and what they mean when you see them on packaging? Regardless of your answers, if you live in the U.S., the University of Georgia’s New Materials Institute wants to know what you know about composting, and is asking members of the public to voluntarily complete a survey by March 31st.

“While access to municipal or private composting services is increasingly common in the U.S., public knowledge of how composting works and what people are composting is not well known,” said Jenna Jambeck, who is leading the research team conducting the survey. Jambeck is the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Environmental Engineering, and co-founder of the UGA New Materials Institute. “Individual municipal programs may be able to track levels of participation in composting programs, but disposal of compostable packaging and compostable products has not been a focus of many past surveys of consumers.”

This survey seeks to understand consumer activities around composting, especially related to food waste and compostable food serviceware and packaging. It also seeks to gauge the level of consumer awareness of bio-based, biodegradable and compostable certification labels; disposal actions that consumers associate with those labels; and whether these certification labels influence consumer perception of consumer brands and products.

Members of the public should be able to complete the survey in less than 10 minutes, and can take it from their cell phone or other device connected to the internet. All responses will remain completely anonymous. The researchers request that only one individual from a household take the survey on behalf of the household. Data gathered may be used in research publications or presentations given by UGA researchers, students, or UGA’s research partners.

The deadline to complete the survey is March 31, 2021.

“Thank you to everyone who takes time to complete the survey. The data will help inform the design of materials before they become waste,” said Jambeck.

Click here to take the Composting survey

About the UGA New Materials Institute:

The UGA New Materials Institute is committed to preventing waste through the design of materials and systems that adhere to Green Engineering principles. The Institute partners with industry and businesses to design materials for their use that are bio-based, fully biodegradable, or completely recyclable, and safe for people, animals and our planet. In addition, it works with businesses and governments, foundations and other organizations to redesign systems so that they generate less waste and promote circularity in materials management. The New Materials Institute is also shaping the future by training the next generation of scientists and engineers on the importance of considering Green Engineering design principles in everything they do. For more information, visit newmaterials.uga.edu.

UGA New Materials Institute Director Jason Locklin talks to NOVA about plastics

Kat Gilmore on February 3, 2021

Jason Locklin, PhD, is director of the UGA New Materials Institute. Professor Locklin is jointly appointed to the College of Engineering, where he is a Distinguished Faculty Scholar, and to the Department of Chemistry in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

An interview with Jason Locklin, on the environmental problems associated with plastics and potential solutions for the near future, is featured in an episode of a three-part NOVA docuseries that premieres Wednesday, February 3. Locklin is director of the UGA New Materials Institute, which researches and develops compostable technologies to replace the environmentally persistent, petroleum-based plastics currently used in packaging for consumer goods and food items.

NOVA “BEYOND THE ELEMENTS,” hosted by David Pogue, examines our everyday world through the lens of chemistry. The series features three distinct, but related episodes: “REACTIONS,” “INDESTRUCTIBLE” and “LIFE,” airing on February 3 and 10 at 9 p.m. ET/8C and on February 17 at 8 p.m. ET/7C on PBS. The series is available for streaming online and via the PBS Video app.

BEYOND THE ELEMENTS brings hard-to-visualize concepts to life with the help of stunning graphics, giving viewers easy-to-understand insights into the question: “What happens when atoms stick together?”

The interview with Locklin appears in the “INDESTRUCTIBLE” episode that airs on February 10.

BEYOND THE ELEMENTS premieres Wednesdays, February 3 and 10 at 9 p.m. ET/8C and February 17 at 8 p.m. ET/7C on PBS and is available for streaming online and on the PBS video app.

NOVA “BEYOND THE ELEMENTS: REACTIONS”  (February 3, 2021 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on PBS) Just about every solid, liquid, or gas in the world as we know it begins with reactions between individual atoms and molecules. Host David Pogue dives into the transformative world of chemical reactions, from the complex formula that produces cement to the single reaction that’s allowed farmers to feed a global population by the billions—a reaction that when reversed, unleashes the powerful chemistry of high explosives.

NOVA “BEYOND THE ELEMENTS: INDESTRUCTIBLE” (February 10, 2021 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on PBS) Glass so strong you can jump on it, a rubber-like coating tough enough to absorb a bomb blast, the endless varieties of plastic. Scientists and engineers have created virtually indestructible versions of common materials by manipulating the chains of interlocking atoms that give them strength—but have they made them too tough? Host David Pogue explores the fantastic chemistry behind the everyday materials we depend on, and how the quest for durability can be balanced with products’ environmental impact.

NOVA “BEYOND THE ELEMENTS: LIFE” (February 17, 2021 at 8 p.m. ET/7C on PBS) Without the chemistry of photosynthesis, ozone, and a molecule called Rubisco, none of us would be here. So how did we get so lucky? To find out, host David Pogue investigates the surprising molecules that allowed life on Earth to begin, and ultimately thrive. Along the way, he finds out what we’re all made of—literally.

UGA scientist leads effort to help flexible films fully transition to compostable technologies

Kat Gilmore on February 2, 2021

Evan White, PhD, of the UGA New Materials Institute.
Evan White, of the UGA New Materials Institute, leads a fund-raising initiative aimed at helping the flexible films industry transition toward greater sustainability in packaging films used for consumer goods and food packaging. The initiative resulted from the Redesigning Flexible Films Innovation Workshop, held virtually throughout 2020, which involved White and more than 80 experts. Photo by Amy Ware.

Evan White, of the UGA New Materials Institute, is leading an initiative to establish a nonprofit organization to raise money for research and development of compostable technologies for the flexible films industry to help facilitate the industry’s transition toward greater sustainability in packaging for consumer goods and food packaging.

The initiative, “Crowdfunding for Research & Development of New Compostable Materials,” is one of nine incubation projects resulting from a virtual workshop held throughout 2020 involving White and more than 80 experts—including polymer scientists, resin producers, retailers, waste managers, soil experts and other industry professionals. The Redesigning Flexible Films Innovation Workshop participants included representatives from the UGA New Materials Institute, Dr. Bronner’s, Eco-Cycle, Mars, New Hope Network, PepsiCo, Ben & Jerry’s, and Amy’s Kitchen, among others.

The result of their efforts are broadly outlined in a white paper titled “Uncovering the Next Innovation Curve in Sustainable Packaging.” The white paper creates a framework to move industry toward zero-waste packaging by transitioning away from traditional plastic flexible films, materials that have been a rapidly growing packaging format with no end-of-life option. Flexible films currently utilized by industry include bags, wraps, multilayer packaging, air pouches, and most packaging used for food. Benefits of flexible packaging include the delivery of safe and affordable food to consumers, and reduction of  emissions from transportation and food waste. Despite these benefits, the flexible films currently in use are the most environmentally deleterious form of packaging and have a limited recycling future—and, therein lies the paradox. In his role as a workshop participant, White, who is director of the New Material Institute’s Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory, advocated for compostable technologies as replacement options for these materials.

“The problem with flexible films currently in use is their end-of-life scenario,” explained White. “They are not recycled because they easily gum up the recycling sorters and grinders. Their light weight means the films have no value to recyclers, and flexible films are often contaminated with food residue, which bars them from recycling. This type of light-weight packaging is carried easily by the wind and therefore is widely distributed into the environment. These films are used by industry because they are inexpensive. Industry needs an inexpensive, responsibly-sourced alternative to this type of commonly used plastic.”

The non-profit fundraising arm that White and his team will create will be an independent entity. White is currently forming a board of directors and creating organizational bylaws. More details will be released later this year. The goal is to publish advances that benefit the flexible film industry, and, to raise funds for research and development aimed at tackling three key lingering problems with multilayer films and the flexible packaging industry: compostable energy curable varnishes; compostable inks; and new barrier layers to replace aluminum metalized packaging currently used in chip bags and other single-use applications.  Until now, certification agencies have tolerated minimal levels of these materials in packaging, but this acceptance will be gradually phased out as industry moves toward sustainability goals set for 2030.

The virtual workshop was produced by RCD Packaging Innovation, a supply and innovation firm that specializes in packaging solutions to eliminate waste and care for our planet; support was provided by OSC. To download a free copy of the white paper, click here.

UGA, BASF to conduct biological degradation studies for DOE-funded project

Kat Gilmore on November 2, 2020

A respirometer at the UGA New Materials Institute.
Biological degradation studies are conducted in a respirometer, in which each individual chamber simulates an environment where materials are broken down by microbes that live in that environment. The UGA New Materials Institute has constructed some of the largest respirometers in North America for its biological degradation studies, totaling 192 chambers for environmental simulation. Photo by Cassie Wright.

The University of Georgia New Materials Institute will collaborate on a U.S. Department of Energy-funded research project to explore and optimize strains of bacteria for use in the creation of biologically degrading thermoplastic for polyurethanes and their byproducts. The UGA team, led by Jason Locklin, who directs the Institute, will work with a team from BASF (www.basf.com) to conduct the biological degradation studies for the grant project.

The US DOE awarded $2 million in grant funding to Jon Pokorski and Adam Feist, both researchers from the University of California San Diego, to fine-tune their innovation for thermoplastic polyurethanes and related byproducts. The UGA-BASF team will utilize about a quarter of that funding, over 3 years, to ensure that the material meets the biological degradation requirements specified by the US DOE. The BASF team will be led by Arif Rahman, a thermoplastic polyurethane researcher at the company.

“It’s an honor to be asked by my colleagues at UCSD for help with their project, and it is a tremendous advantage for us to be able to conduct these biological degradability studies with a team from BASF” said Locklin. “Working in tandem with industry means we are all focused on fine-tuning a technology that will be launched into the global marketplace where it can replace current plastics technologies that are accumulating in our landfills and environment.”

BASF and the UGA New Materials Institute have already developed a good working relationship over the last few years, through BASF’s participation as a member company of the Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (CB2). CB2 is an Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers program funded by the National Science Foundation, and the UGA New Materials Institute serves as one of four research sites for CB2.

The project “Degradable Biocomposite Thermoplastic Polyurethanes” was funded through the DOE’s BOTTLE program: Bio-Optimized Technologies to Keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment; the program isjointly funded by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office and Advanced Manufacturing Office. The project is part of the DOE’s Plastics Innovation Challenge, which draws on the research capabilities of DOE National Laboratories, universities, and industry to accelerate innovations in energy-efficient plastics recycling technologies.

Read the press release from UCSD

Biodegradable. Compostable. Recyclable. How helpful are product label claims?

Kat Gilmore on October 2, 2020

A contaminated recycling stream.
Products and packaging labeled as “biodegradable” or “compostable” can confuse consumers and contaminate recycling streams. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA)

Creating plastics, particularly packaging, is a complex endeavor. For example, multiple materials may be required to create packaging for a product, based on how far that product has to travel, how long its shelf life might be, and whether it’s packaging for a food item. So, if you are a consumer who is concerned about selecting environmentally-friendly packaging and products, what do you do? Are the claims made on product packaging clear enough to help you make the best decision when it comes time to dispose of that packaging or product? Jason Locklin, director of the UGA New Materials Institute, and Jenna Jambeck, who leads the Institute’s Center for Circular Materials Management, talked to the New York Times about the complicated choices facing today’s consumers.

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