We know that some insects can bring more perks. Yet sometimes, we can’t help but wince or shudder when we see them. 

Maybe this one’s out of your wildest imagination but imagine: scientists concocting something to turn bugs into chemicals. Then, in the chemicals, they use a pincer to harvest plastics that can break down over time. 

Well, what I’ve just told you to imagine is a little bit too fictional. However, as you can read from the title, scientists have discovered just that. 

In fact, the researchers have shared their progress during the fall meeting of American Chemical Society (ACS).  

The progress they’ve shared includes chemicals isolation and purification that’s derived from insects. From that process, the chemicals transform into environmentally friendly plastics. 

According to the head of the project Dr Karen Wooley, the researchers have tried it for 20 years.  

“For 20 years, my team has been figuring out ways to turn natural products—like glucose from sugar cane or trees—into polymers that break down without lingering in the environment,” Wooley said. 

Now, the natural products that Wooley mentioned have more competition. We’ve used glucose from sugar cane or trees for food, fuel, construction, and transportation. 

Therefore, to find alternatives, the researchers looked for other sources. That is, ones that wouldn’t compete with essential applications. 

Where the bugs fly by 

Wooley’s colleague Dr Jeffery Tomberlin suggested a slightly unconventional source.  

The idea of using waste products isn’t something new either, but not when it comes to bugs. 

Tomberlin came up with that idea from farming black soldier flies—a growing industry he’s been involved in. 

Why flies, you may ask?  

Well, the larvae of these flies are rich in proteins and other nutrients. That makes them valuable for animal feed and waste disposal. 

 

 

It just so happens that adult flies have a short lifespan. Industries usually dispose of them after their breeding days are over. 

Following Tomberlin’s suggestion, Wooley’s team started using the adult fly carcasses as their new raw material.  

Black soldier flies are bugs that also contain other useful compounds that the researchers plan to use as starting materials. The compounds include proteins, DNA, fatty acids, lipids, and vitamins.  

These products are made from chemical building blocks. All of them are designed to break down or digest when discarded, which addresses the plastic pollution problem. 

According to a graduate student on the project Cassidy Tibbetts, “We’re turning literal garbage into something useful.” 

Upon examining the dead flies, Tibbetts found that chitin is a major component. 

Chitin is a biodegradable, sugar-based polymer that strengthens the exoskeletons of insects and crustaceans. We’ve seen stories of plastics made from crab waste, haven’t we? 

To extract and purify chitin from the dead insects, Tibbetts used techniques like ethanol rinses and acidic demineralization. 

Per Tibbetts’ findings, chitin from flies is likely purer. The chitin lacks the yellowish color and clumpy texture of the traditional product. 

And more importantly, using flies could avoid concerns about seafood allergies. 

From chitin to bioplastics 

During Tibbetts’ efforts to perfect her extraction techniques, another graduate student tries something else. 

Hongming Guo has tried converting the purified fly chitin into chitosan, a similar polymer. 

By removing chitin’s acetyl groups, Guo exposes chemically reactive amino groups. Those amino groups can then transform into useful bioplastics, like superabsorbent hydrogels. 

Guo has made hydrogel that can absorb 47 times its weight in water in just one minute.  

Wooley has thought of using the hydrogel in cropland soil to capture floodwater and release moisture during subsequent droughts. 

And because the hydrogel is biodegradable, it could gradually release its components as nutrients for crops. 

 

 

After the hydrogel, the researchers want to try breaking down chitin into monomeric glucosamines. So, they can use the small sugar molecules to make bioplastics like polycarbonates or polyurethanes. 

Wooley’s vision about these flies aligns with the sustainable, circular economy concept. 

“Ultimately, we’d like the insects to eat the waste plastic as their food source, and then we would harvest them again and collect their components to make new plastics. 

“So the insects would not only be the source, but they would also then consume the discarded plastics,” Wooley said. 

Now, this isn’t the only plastic alternatives that are made from unusual materials. A professor has come up with a prototype made from proteins and clothing scraps. 

Clothing scraps are plastics (after going through processes) 

The story began when Challa Kumar, a chemistry professor, had had enough. Kumar grew tired of the massive amount of toxic waste harming the environment. 

Therefore, Kumar used his skills to create new, eco-friendly materials. 

According to the professor, everyone should consider replacing fossil fuel-based materials with natural ones wherever possible. That way, we’ll help humanity survive in the future. 

“It’s like our house is on fire, and we can’t wait. We need to start pouring water on the house now,” Kumar said. 

What’s interesting is that Kumar developed two technologies using proteins and cloth to make fresh materials.  

Kumar got the inspiration from nature’s ability to make various functional materials.  

He and his team then came up with a way to create continuously adjustable non-toxic materials. 

“Chemistry is the only thing standing in our way. If we understand protein chemistry, we can make protein materials as strong as a diamond or as soft as a feather,” Kumar said. 

The team’s first innovation has transformed natural proteins into plastic-like materials. 

Now, proteins “reactor groups” on their surfaces that can react with substances they come into contact with. 

With this knowledge, Kumar’s team used a chemical link to bind protein molecules together. Unlike most synthetic polymers which are linear chains, the team’s process managed to create a 3D molecule. 

This means that the unique, non-linear structure allows the new polymer to behave like plastic. It can stretch, change shape, and fold. 

Additionally, because of the protein compound and bio-linking chemical, the new polymer can biodegrade, like plant and animal proteins. 

 

 

New materials with potentials 

Kumar said, “In the lab, the team found that the material degrades within a few days in an acidic solution. Now, they are investigating what happens if they bury this material in the ground, which is the fate of many post-consumer plastics.” 

According to the team, we can use the protein-based material to make different plastic-like products.  

We might have coffee cup lids to thin transparent film made from this new material. Moreover, the researchers claim that it can also be good for fire-resistant roof tiles, car doors or rocket cone tips. 

Now, the second technology combines the proteins with natural fibers like cotton. 

“We are creating a lot of textiles waste each year due to the fast-changing fashion industry. So why not use that waste to create useful materials—convert waste to wealth,” Kumar said. 

The team plans to make the composite material to biodegrade without producing toxic waste.  

In the lab, the team has created objects with protein-fabric composites, including small shoes, desks, flowers, and chairs. 

Now, we notice that the team has only worked with cotton so far. Nonetheless, they believe that other fiber materials like hemp or jute would behave similarly. After all, they have common chemical properties with cotton. 

We still don’t know when or how they will work with those other fibers. However, the researchers are open to the possibility of creating the new materials to reduce toxic waste. 

 

Sources

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230814122405.htm 

https://phys.org/news/2023-11-chemist-plastic-alternatives-proteins-scraps.html