Science at UM [S02-ep28]: From bio-based plastics to innovation after-work events
This week on A l’UM la science, Emmanuelle Gastaldi from the IATE laboratory IATE laboratory raises awareness about the proper and improper uses of bio-based and/or biodegradable plastics. The report takes us to the platform nuclear magnetic resonance platform with Aurélien Lebrun. Finally, Kelly Berriat teases us with the Innovation Awards awards at the University of Montpellier. The program is broadcast every Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Divergence FM 93.9.
It's June 21! Summer is here, and we're slowly winding down towards the end of the season, with only two more episodes left before the summer break. It's time for days at the beach, walks in the scrubland, and picnics by the river. On this occasion, you may wonder about the point of buying that small bottle of recyclable plastic water when an aluminum water bottle would have done the job. Perhaps you'll be tempted by a piémontaise salad from the deli counter at your supermarket, in which case you'll ask the salesperson whether the packaging is made from conventional or bio-based plastic. Unless you prefer a homemade Piedmontese salad, in which case you will probably carry your tomatoes and potatoes in a compostable corn starch bag. And if, during your picnic, a sudden gust of wind blows away this marvel of technology, you can always console yourself with the thought that this bag was designed to disintegrate naturally. Ah! The joy of a clear and peaceful conscience. Except that...
However, the study we are going to discuss today may slightly undermine this sense of satisfaction, as it questions the role of bio-based and biodegradable plastics and highlights the difficulty of proving their biodegradability outside of laboratory conditions, which are sometimes very different from the real conditions in which these plastics will end up. Our guest is Emmanuelle Gastaldi. She is a researcher at the IATE laboratory for Agropolymers Engineering and Emerging Technologies. She is co-author of an article entitled Discussion about suitable applications for biodegradable plastics regarding their sources, uses, and end of life and published in the journal Waste Management.
Read also:
- Effects of Kraft lignin agricultural residues and corn cobs on the properties of injection-molded biocomposites, Crops and Industrial Products, March 2022.
- Impact of mechanical and thermochemical pretreatments to improve the anaerobic digestion of polylactic acid, Chemosphere, June 2022.
In the second part of the program, we take you to the physical measurement laboratory located at the Balard chemistry center, where we visit the NMR platform for nuclear magnetic resonance. Aurélien Lebrun shows us the platform's equipment and explains how spectrometry can be used to better characterize molecules or determine the purity of samples.
Finally, our guest for the last three minutes comes from the university's communications department, in other words, from home. Kelly Berriat will be talking to us about the UM Innovation Awards, which will be presented on June 28 at the Jardin des Plantes during the Afterwork Innovation event.
At UM Science, you have the program, so let's get started!
Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Lucie Lecherbonnier / Aline Périault
Reporting and editing: Aline Périault
Production: Naomi Charmetan
Listen to the program “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9
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