Science at UM [S02-ep28]: From Bio-based Plastics to Innovation After-Work
This week on "Science at UM," Emmanuelle Gastaldi from the IATE raises awareness about the proper and improper uses of bio-based and/or biodegradable plastics. The report takes us to the nuclear nuclear magnetic resonance platform with Aurélien Lebrun. Finally, Kelly Berriat gives us a sneak peek at the Innovation Award at the University of Montpellier. A show airing every Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Divergence FM 93.9.
It’s June 21st! Summer is here, and we’re slowly winding down toward the end of the season, with just two more episodes left before our summer break. It’s time for days at the beach, walks through the scrubland, and picnics by the river. On this occasion, you might wonder whether it’s worth buying that small recyclable plastic water bottle when an aluminum water bottle would have done the trick. Maybe you’ll be tempted by a piémontaise salad from the deli section of your supermarket, in which case you’ll ask the clerk whether the packaging is made of conventional plastic or bio-based plastic. Unless you prefer a homemade Piedmontese salad, in which case you’ll likely carry your tomatoes and potatoes in a compostable cornstarch bag. And if, during the picnic, a sudden gust of wind carries this marvel of technology away, you can always console yourself by thinking that this bag was designed to break down on its own in nature. Ah!… The joy of a clear and peaceful conscience. Except that…
Except that the study we’re going to discuss today might slightly chip away at that 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 actual conditions in which these plastics will end up. Our guest is Emmanuelle Gastaldi. She is a researcher at the IATE laboratory for Agopolymer Engineering and Emerging Technologies. She is a co-author of an article titled “Discussion on suitable applications for biodegradable plastics regarding their sources, uses, and end-of-life” and published in the journal Waste Management.
See also:
- Effects of Kraft lignin and corn cob agricultural residues on the properties of injection-molded biocomposites, Agriculture and Industrial Products, March 2022.
- Impact of Mechanical and Thermochemical Pretreatments on Improving the Anaerobic Digestion of Poly(lactic acid), Chemosphère, June 2022.
In the second half of the program, we’ll take you to the physical measurement laboratory located at the Balard Chemistry Campus, where we’ll visit the NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) facility. Aurélien Lebrun will show us the facility’s equipment and explain how spectroscopy helps characterize molecules more accurately and determine the purity of samples.
Finally, our guest for the last three minutes is from the university’s communications department—in other words, from our own institution. Kelly Berriat will be joining us to discuss the UM Innovation Awards, which will be presented on June 28 at the Jardin des Plantes during the Innovation Afterwork event.
At UM Science, you’ve got the program—let’s get started!
Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Lucie Lecherbonnier / Aline Périault
Reporting and editing: Aline Périault
Director: Naomi Charmetan
Tune in to the show “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9
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