Have you ever looked around you? The mobile phone you’re reading these lines on. Dinner on a plate or shopping bag that you bring in a month-long bargain from the Salaf Market. Or the toys your kids play with. There is nothing in which plastic is not used.
But when plastic is disposed of after use, it does not pollute it by remaining in the environment for hundreds of years due to its specific structure.
Now a Pakistani has solved this problem and has developed a plastic that is not only bio degradable but can also be eaten.
The idea of manufacturing this unique plastic came to Dr. Anjum Nawab, Assistant Professor of Food Science and Technology at the University of Karachi. Dr. Anjum told the BBC that the term bio degradable and edible (which can be eaten) is used in the same sense today.
“In simple terms, if something is biodegradable, it means that when it is thrown away after use, the germs in the atmosphere will end it.”
Dr. Anjum Nawab said that if germs can remove anything, then it can be used for human food as well.
‘Plastic is made from ingredients extracted from natural commodities so it can be eaten. Such plastic can also be disposed of in warm water.
Unlike environmentally friendly plastics, plastics manufactured by petrochemicals cannot eliminate the germs in the atmosphere, and the products produced remain in the environment for hundreds of years and cause pollution.
Environment enemy plastic
It is estimated that 300 million tonnes of plastic is being added to the world every year, of which fifty percent is used only once.
Environmental expert Dr. Waqar Ahmed points out that Karachi, which is one of the few major cities in the world, produces about 15,000 tonnes of waste daily, of which more than fifty percent is plastic.
According to Dr Waqar Ahmed, it is made of plastic bottles, shopping bags and styrofoam items. Some of this waste is dumped into landfills while the rest of the river gets into the sea through the rivers and becomes fish food and then becomes part of the food chain and transmitted to humans.
Experts say the use of plastics is also increasing air pollution. Dr. Waqar Ahmad says that due to lack of proper disposal of waste, many people burn the garbage. Toxins from it are added to the atmosphere in the form of smoke and pollute the atmosphere.
In addition, polythene bags cause sewage drains to close, while plastic bags often block the drainage and waterways.
Dr. Anjum Nawab’s PhD dissertation at the University of Karachi’s Assistant Professor was on the manufacture of plastic made of natural commodities for the packaging of food and drink products.
“At that time the mango season was going on, so I thought why not experiment with the manufacture of bio-degradable and edible plastics from the mango kernel.”
Mango is produced in Pakistan in large quantities and waste from processing plants is not used for any purpose other than animal feed.
Dr. Anjum Nawab points out that in the manufacture of plastic, the mango kernel is opened and the seed is extracted and then the starch or starch is extracted from the seed. The starch is then added to the plastic by the various ingredients.
Dr Anjum claims that efforts are being made to manufacture edible bio degradable plastics in different countries of the world, but the plastic produced at the University of Karachi is different because it is being manufactured from mango kernels.
Use of environmentally friendly plastic
Experts believe that edible bio degradable plastic can be widely used.
Dr. Anjum Nawab says that these plastic shopping bags can be manufactured. In addition, the plastic packaging used in food items can be replaced with plastic.
“When we saw the current aluminum packaging of spices changed from environmentally friendly plastic, their shelf life increased significantly.”
Dr Anjum Nawab claims that his work has been praised internationally.
‘I have presented articles on research at domestic and foreign conferences and seminars. In addition, my articles have been published in the International Journal of Biological Macro-molecules, Starch and the Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, in the World Journal of Research.
Interest in the industrial sector
Dr. Anjum Nawab points out that his research is currently experimental.
“We are building the feasibility to run this project at a trial level. The plastic can then be manufactured on a large scale and then transported to the public. The industrial sector has also shown an interest in investing in this project and we have several offers at the moment. ‘
Dr Anjum says that the cost of edible bio degradable plastic will be somewhat higher initially.
“Because mango waste is used in the manufacture of environmentally friendly plastics, which has no cost, it is hoped that we will be able to reduce the cost of this plastic substantially. In this way the price of edible bio degradable plastic will be the same as that of ordinary plastic. ‘
Ban on plastic bags
Like the rest of the world, Pakistan has also been banned by plastic bags due to pollution caused by plastic bags.
The federal government has banned the use of plastic bags in Islamabad after August 14, 2019. As a result of this restriction, manufacturers of plastic bags, sellers and buyers will be fined between Rs.
In March 2019, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also banned plastic bags, and in May 2019 the government of Balochistan stopped buying and selling shopping bags.
Sindh government has also announced a ban on the use of polythene bags across the province from October this year. The public is advised to use bio-degradable or paper bags instead of polyethylene.
Complete elimination of plastic
Environmental expert Dr. Waqar Ahmed says that it may take decades to completely eliminate the use of plastic, but even if its use is reduced, it will be a great success.
“Both the government and the public should reduce the use of plastics and rely on other means. For example, the use of cloth bags and glass bottles can replace traditional plastic. ‘
Dr. Anjum Nawab claims that edible bio degradable plastic can be a very viable alternative to concentrated plastic. She says the use of this plastic will not only reduce garbage scattered on the street but will also help control environmental pollution.