What makes Lucy Hughes a Global Shaker?
Lucy Hughes, hailing from Twickenham, London has created a bioplastic made from red algae and organic fish waste that would otherwise end up in landfills. The invention, that she came up with at age 24, has bagged her the prestigious James Dyson Award and £30,000 in prize money.
The fully biodegradable and compostable material, called MarinaTex, has been designed as an environmentally responsible replacement for the plastic film currently used in a whole host of packaging and a recurring offender in sandwich boxes.
It can biodegrade in soil in less than a month and can be disposed of through ordinary food waste collections.
While the product may look and feel like plastic—it is apparently a lot stronger and far safer to use in conjunction with food.
MarinaTex is also relatively resource-light, requiring little energy and temperatures under 100 degrees to produce.
Plus, as it uses byproducts from the fishing industry, this helps to close the loop of an existing waste stream for a more circular product lifespan.
According to Hughes, one Atlantic cod could generate as much organic waste as is needed for making 1,400 bags of MarinaTex.
MarinaTex is also relatively resource-light, requiring little energy and temperatures under 100 degrees to produce.
Plus, as it uses byproducts from the fishing industry, this helps to close the loop of an existing waste stream for a more circular product lifespan.
According to Hughes, one Atlantic cod could generate as much organic waste as is needed for making 1,400 bags of MarinaTex.
Tags: algae, bioplastic, kelp, plastic solutions, seaweedLast updated: September 2, 2020
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