Science at theUM [S02-ep28]: From Bio-based Plastics to the Innovation After-Work Event
This week on *A l’UM * Science, Emmanuelle Gastaldi from the IATE raises our awareness about the proper and improper uses of bio-based and/or biodegradable plastics. The report takes us to the nuclear magnetic resonance nuclear magnetic resonance platform with Aurélien Lebrun. Finally, Kelly Berriat gives us a sneak peek at the Innovation Award at the University of Montpellier. The show airs every Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Divergence FM 93.9.
It’s June 21! It’s summer, and we’re gradually winding down toward the end of the season, since we only have two more episodes left before the summer break. It’s time for days at the beach, walks through the scrubland, and picnics by the river. With that in mind, you might find yourself wondering whether it’s worth buying that little recyclable plastic water bottle when an aluminum water bottle would have done the trick. Maybe you’ll be tempted by a Piedmont-style salad from your supermarket’s deli section—in which case, you’ll ask the clerk whether the packaging is made of conventional plastic or bio-based plastic. Unless, of course, you prefer a homemade Piedmontese salad—in which case you’ll likely be carrying your tomatoes and potatoes in a compostable cornstarch bag. And if, during your picnic, an unexpected gust of wind blows 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 may slightly chip away at that sense of moral satisfaction, since 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,” , published in the journal *Waste Management*.
See also:
- Effects of Kraft lignin agricultural residues and corn cobs on the properties of injection-molded biocomposites, *Culture et produits industriels*, March 2022.
- Impact of Mechanical and Thermochemical Pretreatments on Improving the Anaerobic Digestion of Poly(lactic acid), *Chemosphere*, June 2022.
In the second part of the program, we’ll take you to the physical measurements laboratory located at the Balard Chemistry Campus, and more specifically, we’ll visit the NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) facility. Aurélien Lebrun will show us the facility’s equipment and explain how spectrometry helps us better characterize molecules 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 talk about theUM Innovation Awards, which will be presented on June 28 at the Jardin des Plantes during the Afterwork Innovation event.
At "UM : Science," here's the lineup—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
Listen to the show “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9
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