At the UGA New Materials Institute, we believe that a material’s useful end-of-life should be considered at the design stage and that Green Engineering principles should be part of this process.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Representatives from Shaw recently interviewed Jason Locklin, director of the UGA New Materials Institute, about the Institute’s research partnerships with industry and why the Institute focuses on single-use packaging as a means to reduce the mismanaged plastic waste that is accumulating in our environment. The UGA New Materials Institute is among 10 organizations being highlighted this year by Shaw Industries Group Inc., as part of the company’s new sustain[HUMAN]abilityTM recognition program.
The projects are among nine selected by CB2’s Industry Advisory Board (IAB) for exploration in 2020. They are:
“Unlocking the Potential of Xylan-based Polymer
Materials,” and,
“Investigation of the Enzymatic Degradability of
Glycolic Urethane Linkages Using Chromophore Probes.”
The xylan project is a continuation of one selected and launched in 2019, during the Institute’s first year as a research site for CB2. The project is led by Breeanna Urbanowicz, an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences. Urbanowicz’s work focuses on the structure and function of plant carbohydrate active enzymes; she is based at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center. Xylan exists in plants and is the third-most abundant biopolymer on Earth. Urbanowicz’s goal is to identify and catalogue properties in xylan which may be useful in creating bio-based polymers for materials and products.
The glycolic urethane project is led by Evan M. White, an assistant research scientist who directs the Institute’s Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory. Polyurethanes represent a diverse class of polymers that may be formulated into durable coatings, composites, adhesives, and foams which are found across many sectors, including packaging. This project focuses on developing faster screening assays to discover enzymatically degradable urethane chemistries which may be relevant to materials made with such chemical bonds, as well as other chemical bonds used in polyurethanes. Understanding the enzymatic deconstruction of polyurethanes may help in the development of completely compostable high-barrier, multilayer packaging.
Advances in materials science were recently featured at a two-day meeting held at UGA. Photo by Cal Powell.
The 4th International Symposium on Materials from Renewables drew scientists from throughout the U.S. and Europe to UGA, to share successes and challenges from their explorations into creating materials from renewable sources. The two-day meeting, co-hosted by the UGA Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors and New Materials Institute, featured advances in renewable materials science that may eventually benefit a broad swath of industry, from single-use plastics, to the transportation and building sectors, to biomedical and textiles, to energy.
“An increased interest, by
industry and academia, in research and commercialization of renewable and
compostable plastics demonstrates the need for professionals in this field to
freely exchange and discuss ideas,” said Sergiy Minko, the Georgia Power Professor of Fiber
and Polymer Science at the University of Georgia, who co-founded ISMR with
faculty from North Dakota State University. The annual event aims to spur
collaborative research and engineering efforts toward solving problems with
materials currently in use.
Focus is close to home
Much of the research presented focused on utilizing renewable sources that are plentiful in a researcher’s home state or region. For example, many projects featured polymers extracted from or developed from agricultural byproducts, like rice straw, corn stover, plant-based oils or other materials—including utilizing keratin from chicken feathers.
There are numerous sources available
for renewable polymers, said Minko. Utilizing byproducts from industry can add
value to local resources and thus to local economies.
“This is important for Georgia,
for example, with its long history of paper and textile industries and also intensive
agriculture,” said Minko. “Byproducts from these industries could be
transferred into valuable sources for environmentally-friendly materials.”
Plants and their byproducts offer three of the most abundant natural resources on Earth: cellulose, lignin and xylan. All three were discussed by scientists at the meeting. Cellulose has been used by industry for a long time and multiple researchers shared their explorations into new ways to utilize cellulose in the creation of materials. Xylan is another abundant polysaccharide that is present in many agricultural side and forest products, and is being researched as a potential polymer and chemicals source. Lignin, a byproduct of the paper industry and agriculture, is a naturally existing polymer that is being explored.
Adding value at the design stage
Presenters also discussed ongoing research to upcycle existing polymers—by creating them intentionally to have additional value following their initial life cycle, which encourages recycling—and also to improve upon existing polymers. For example, polylactic acid, or PLA, is a starch-based polymer that has been in use for about 15 years. It is completely degradable in an industrial compost setting, but not in cold ocean water. Some scientists are trying to alter PLA-based materials so that they break down in ocean water.
Graduate students, representing multiple universities, presented research posters and three winners were recognized. Scott Tull, from the Locklin Group in the New Materials Institute, took first place for “Waterborne Polyhydroxyalkanoate Colloidal Dispersions: A Sustainable Replacement for Single Use Plastic Coatings.” Jamie P. Wooding, from Georgia Institute of Technology, placed second for “Modifying Interfacial Chemistry of Cellulose-Reinforced Epoxy Composites Using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD).” And, Mastooreh Seyedi, of Clemson University, placed third for “Coloring Fabrics Using Dye-Embedded Cellulose Nanofibrils.”
The University of Georgia’s New Materials Institute is one of 10 organizations to be highlighted over the coming year by Shaw Industries Group Inc., as part of the company’s new sustain[HUMAN]abilityTM recognition program.
“We are grateful to Shaw Industries for recognizing and highlighting
our efforts in working with industry to design products with end-of-life in
mind, that ultimately reduce waste and are safer for people, animals and our
planet,” said Jason Locklin, director of the New Materials Institute.
Shaw’s program recognizes “diverse organizations intently focused on products and initiatives that support the wellbeing of people and the planet,” the company said in its press release. As part of the program, which launched in October, the New Materials Institute will be featured in a blog series posted on SustainableBrands.com. The blog posts will examine what drives the efforts of organizations like the New Materials Institute, the challenges these groups face, keys to success and what innovations are on the horizon.
Headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, Shaw is a global manufacturer of
carpet, resilient flooring, hardwood, tile, stone, laminate, synthetic turf and
other specialty items for residential and commercial markets worldwide. It is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway with nearly $6 billion in annual
revenue.
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, 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 www.newmaterials.uga.edu.
Jason Locklin, left, receives an award from Donald J. Leo, dean of the UGA College of Engineering. Locklin is the director of the New Materials Institute.
Jason Locklin, director of the UGA New Materials Institute, received the Excellence in Research Award from the UGA College of Engineering and was named a Distinguished Faculty Scholar by the college for his sustained excellence in scholarship. The awards were announced at the COE’s 2019 Celebration of Excellence, held April 2.
Also this week, Handa received the Fred C. Davison Early Career Scholar Award from the UGA Office of Research. His work focuses on developing new biocompatible coating materials for medical implant applications. To read more about his work, as well as about others who received awards from the Office of Research, click here.
An $800,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation to the University of Georgia New Materials Institute will help researchers understand how multilayer plastic packaging biodegrades and also help manufacturers in their attempts to design and select more sustainable materials. The research funded by the grant will seek to yield both upstream and downstream solutions aimed at reducing the buildup of plastic packaging in the environment.
“The grant will help us examine how the selection of materials for flexible packaging influences the biodegradability of that plastic in different environments, and also how the unique microbes that exist in these environments influence the biodegradation process,” said Jason Locklin, director of the New Materials Institute and a principal investigator on the grant. “Our data will be used to propose new and logical standards to help find ways to manage packaging waste that is presently being thrown away or blown away.”
Multilayer packaging protects nearly half of the food produced from spoiling before it can be eaten. This complex packaging is also extremely difficult material to recover and recycle, said Locklin. Currently, when two or more types of plastic are bound together to create this flexible packaging, the composite film either does not biodegrade or it biodegrades at a rate too slow to meet certification requirements that allow the manufacturer to claim its film will biodegrade; these requirements vary by country.
There are numerous microbial environments in which plastic packaging—when comprised of the right materials—could fully biodegrade, including landfills, municipal waste water treatment plants and industrial composting facilities. The research team will examine packaging biodegradability in all of these settings and propose new testing standards that governments and certification laboratories can adopt so that all flexible plastic packaging is subjected to rigorous, standard testing protocols.
The team will also conduct a nationwide assessment of existing waste management infrastructure to determine the most advantageous means of managing waste, including the proximity of composting, recycling and other waste processing facilities to the communities they serve. As part of this assessment, the team will also consider whether additional infrastructure may be needed as new types of materials produced to replace conventional plastics begin to make their way into these waste and recycling streams.
The other principal investigators on the project are Jenna Jambeck, who leads the institute’s Center for Circular Materials Management, and Evan White, an assistant research scientist. Jambeck is an associate professor in the College of Engineering. Locklin is a professor of chemistry and biochemical engineering who is jointly appointed to the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of chemistryand the College of Engineering.
“Tackling our plastics problem is going to require new approaches to the entire cycle of production, consumer use and disposal,” said David Lee, vice president for research at UGA. “We’re grateful to the Walmart Foundation for its support of research that aims to create benefits both for the environment and for the communities it serves.”
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, 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 www.newmaterials.uga.edu.
Marc Hillmyer, director of the Center for Sustainable Polymers at the University of Minnesota and senior editor of Macromolecules, will present a lecture titled, “How sustainable polymers can shape the future of plastics,” on March 1, 2019.
The lecture will be held at 12:30 p.m. in the Coverdell Center Auditorium, room 175.
Click on the link below to download a flyer on Dr. Hillmyer’s lecture.
