Biotransformation Technology

• A UK-based startup claims to have developed a Biotransformation Technology that could alter the state of plastics and make them biodegradable without leaving behind any microplastics.
• It is a novel approach to ensure plastics that escape refuse streams are processed efficiently and broken down.
• It was co-developed by the Imperial College in London, UK, and a Britain-based startup, Polymateria.
• The technology would digest the plastics packaging waste naturally with the help of microbes and biodegrade the waste without leaving behind any microplastics.
• This biotransformation technology is the world’s first that ensures polyolefins fully biodegrade in an open environment causing no microplastics.

Working

• Plastics made using this technology are given a pre-programmed time during which the manufactured material looks and feels like conventional plastics without compromising on quality.
• Once the product expires and is exposed to the external environment, it self-destructs and biotransforms into bioavailable wax.
• This wax is then consumed by microorganisms, converting waste into water, CO2, and biomass.

Applications

• Food packaging and healthcare industries are the major two sectors that could use this technology to reduce waste.