Abstract

Katrina Cornish1,2, Yael Vodovotz3, and Sriloy Dey3 1Horticulture and Crop Science, 2Food Agricultural and Biological Engineering and 3Food Science and Technology, The Ohio State University, Ohio, U.S.A. Petroleum-derived plastic wastes are an enormous pollutant and cause almost incalculable ecological harm. Biodegradable bioplastics are a potential means to prevent further damage. Unfortunately, most of these materials cannot meet the performance required for widespread replacement of existing products. They are too brittle, have too narrow a processing window, are too permeable to oxygen and have too weak a moisture barrier. We have developed a series of blended materials which overcome these deficiencies and these can be used in place of polypropylene and high density polyethylene. Properties can be tailored to match specific requirements. We plan to use our rubbery bioplastic to make biodegradable pipet tips, funded by Astrazenaca in response to our recent winning filter tip challenge pitch