Biodegradable plastics produced from waste vegetable cooking oil, a more sustainable approach
24/07/2023 (News Straits Times), Kuala Lumpur - Waste vegetable cooking oil may soon be used to make cutlery and food packaging.
This is made possible with the collaboration between Sirim Berhad, Japanese packaging producer Fujimori-Zacros and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
Sirim Berhad in a statement said the institutions aim to establish optimal processes for producing "Polyhydroxy alkanoates (PHA)", a biodegradable plastic from waste vegetable cooking oil that uses local microbial strains.
Biodegradable plastic from waste vegetable cooking oil is to be used in the production of single-use biodegradable plastics such as cutlery and food packaging as part of the efforts to promote a sustainable and circular economy in the country.
The production organism employed in this process is a locally developed bacterial strain capable of producing high yields of PHBV.
PHBV is a microbial biopolymer with excellent biocompatible and biodegradable properties that make it a potential candidate for substituting petroleum-derived polymers
"This enables competitive pricing for the final product. This is complemented by the utilisation of a novel purification technique that does not require the use of any hazardous chemicals, allowing to produce pure bioplastics.
"Biodegradable plastic made from vegetable cooking oil waste offers several advantages over traditional plastics mainly preventing resource depletion; reducing greenhouse gas production and contributing to the formation of a circular economy.
"Another advantage of this project includes the well-being of the employees, the downstream processing employs a unique purification process that eliminates the use of organic solvents, ensuring the safety of workers and eliminating the need for major waste treatment."
Sirim president and group chief executive officer Datuk Indera Dr Ahmad Sabirin Arshad said the collaboration between Sirim, USM and Fujimori-Zacros can strengthen research capabilities, drive innovation and achieve sustainable growth in today's dynamic and interconnected business landscape.
"The project is underpinned by the excellent research performed by USM researchers and complemented by a team of experts in bioprocessing from SIRIM, enabling the scaling up of the bioplastics production process.
"The involvement of the Fujimori-Zacros group from Japan, an international producer of packaging materials, can form an international consortium, representing a significant step towards Malaysian Innovation Products that support environmental sustainability by utilising local waste for reusable bioproducts.
"This project also underscores SIRIM's commitment to leading the establishment of the Environment Social and Governance (ESG) agenda in our organisational activities, particularly in research and development, to drive the nation's industrial sustainability," he added.