Easing the Environmental Impact of Polymeric Materials: Some New Strategies combining Soft-Bonding and Bio-Sourcing

Recent advances in Green Materials Science for Bio-Engineering applications may be of interest to the bulk materials industry, in the form of providing cost-effective bio-sourced alternatives to artificial plastics. Indeed,... [ view full abstract ]

Recent advances in Green Materials Science for Bio-Engineering applications may be of interest to the bulk materials industry, in the form of providing cost-effective bio-sourced alternatives to artificial plastics. Indeed, traditional disposable plastics have now become a global environmental concern due to their overuse, non-degradability, and toxicity.  This presentation will highlight recent successes from various Sustainable Materials Science and Bio-Engineering efforts towards providing low- or non-impact plastics alternatives.  These encouraging examples are part of a larger network of local efforts, which could readily be implemented in many locations and environments, partnered with local sources of mechanically robust biomass.  A general strategy to develop local production and implementation partnerships will be discussed.

            Specifically at McGill University in Canada, as a working collaboration between our School of Environment, Center for Green Chemistry, and Materials Engineering Facility, we are developing bio-inspired, eventually-degradable plastics alternatives.  Constructed from completely bio-sourced natural starting materials, these new ‘soft-bonded’ materials can be easily and cheaply fabricated locally, to replace many of the current artificial plastics used for structural materials.  Containing trigger-responsive ‘structural linking’ units, when exposed to specific stimuli after use they mechanically (not chemically) degrade , returning the polymer material starting components ‘reversibly’ back to their initial non-toxic and water-soluble form, out of sight and environmental harm.