BLACKSBURG, Va., April 20 -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University issued the following news release:
Research at a glance
About 30 percent of plastics consumed are made to last forever but are discarded after a single use. Researchers at Virginia Tech are working to change that with a new approach that could make environmentally responsible packaging more practical at scale.
A team in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterialsdeveloped a water-based process to create multilayer bioplastic films that are both high-performing and easier to manufacture.The method avoids toxic solvents and matches current industrial production speeds, making it viable for real-world use.
"Scalability and non-toxicity are critical," said Young...