Plastics that Melt Away

This is unlike the chocolates that melt away in your mouth.This is a dream come true.Imagine all the plastic bags from Giant, Tesco, Jusco, Carrefour and the takeaways you lug home are now soluble in water.

The Star reported that a team of researchers at the Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) has invented an award winning material called the Greenphylic Water-Soluble Degradable Plastic, a polymer similar to plastics but dissolves in water.

The project bagged the Gold Medal of the 19th International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition on May 19.

It also won the Best Invention for Universities/Research Institutes category, World Intellectual Property Organisation Best Invention Award and KASS International (a Malaysian Intellectual Property firm)Best Invention Award.

UTP had earlier in November, 2008 won the Gold Medal at the Belgian and International Trade Fair for Technological Innovation in Brussels.

The project is led by Prof. Ramiah Jegatheesan of the Electrical and Elctronic Engineering faculty, UTP.

Winning the award has increased the potential of the new material being commercialised.

Plastics are a source of pollution to the environment and are still harmful even when they degrade. And once they have broken down into smaller molecules, they can contaminate the soil and water tables.

According to Prof Ramiah burnt plastics produce dangerous gases which can cause serious health problems. In addition, discarded plastics clog drains and sewerage pipes.

The new invention Eco Plast is a resin consisting of a synthetic polymer material made from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, polyvinyl alcohol is a colourless, water-soluble, flammable resin belonging to the family of organic polymers. It is derived from a vinyl polymer.

The resin is used in sizing agents that offer resistance to oil and grease upon paper and textiles; to make films resistant to attack by solvents or oxygen; as a component of adhesives and emulsifiers; and as a starting material for the preparation of other resins.

“Polyvinyl alcohol is a water-soluble synthetic polymer which has excellent film forming, emulsifying and adhesive properties. It is odourless and non-toxic, has high tensile strength and flexibility as well as high oxygen and aroma barrier.

However, these properties depend on the ambient relative humidity. With higher humidity, more water is absorbed. The water, which acts as a plasticiser, will then reduce its tensile strength, but increase its elongation and tear strength,” explained Prof Ramiah.

Eco Plast dissolves in water at normal room temperatures of between 25°C and 35°C. If the water is heated, the dissolving time reduces considerably.

In normal thickness, Eco Plast dissolves in water within 60 minutes at a water temperature of around 25°C. It will dissolve in 15 minutes if the water temperature is 40°C. If the water temperature is increased to 50°C, the dissolving time will take only five minutes.

According to Prof Ramiah, the resulting water that is used to dissolve the Eco Plast does not contain any toxic elements and thus there will be no harmful effect to living beings or the environment. This water can be disposed off into the kitchen sink as normal waste water.

Eco Plast can be used to manufacture carrier bags that are useful for grocery items, to pack medical pills, produce gloves and for packaging of other substances.

At present, Eco Plast is two to three times costlier to produce compared to plastic.Once it is commercialised and manufactured on a large scale, the cost will reduce substantially. Furthermore, there is no cost involved in disposing of this material.

UTP have filed for patent and are currently in the process of commerciali­sing the product.