To lessen massive waste from nonbiodegradable plastics, researchers at the University of San Carlos (USC) have turned shrimp waste into bioplastic with potential use for packaging.

This USC project has secured support from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture here through its Grants for Research toward Agriculture and Innovative Solutions.

Searca Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio commended the Cebu-based USC project team of Dr. Maria Kristina Paler for seeking solutions to transform industries affecting the agriculture sector.

“Innovations, which aim to reduce waste and protect our planet, are critical toward achieving sustainable production and consumption,” he said.

According to Dr. Gregorio, the grant for the USC project to create biodegradable plastic out of chitosan — a material extracted from shrimp shells — was awarded in 2022 to the project team.

Dr. Paler and her team shared that the development of chitosan-based bioplastic aimed to help lessen the massive waste from nonbiodegradable plastics and the shrimp industry.

Her team explained that processing frozen shrimp meat for export creates tons of waste in the form of shrimp heads and shells, which are disposed of at local landfills for a fee.

The team reported that the Philippines is among the top contributors of plastic waste in the marine ecosystem.

It identified industry requirements for packaging materials, such as barrier properties for shelf-life preservation, film printability, lamination with good strength and heat-sealing properties.

Chitosan films with organic or clay nanofillers were created, tested and found to have a potential for single-use plastic cover, thus, the team recommended other additives to make the current prototypes heat-sealable.

According to Gregorio, the next step is to widen the potential use of chitosan-based film for industrial applications by improving its thermoplastic property.