Research Projects

Plastic production has increased significantly over the past 50 years, with over 50% used in food packaging. Around 353 million tons of plastic waste was generated globally between 2000-2019, with 40% from packaging material, 12 from consumer goods, and 11 from textiles and clothing. As the population grows, the demand for food has also increased, necessitating a sustainable approach to replace petrochemical-based films in food packaging. Bio-plastics, derived from renewable resources, are a promising solution. Starch, extracted from cereal grains like wheat, rice, corn, rye, and teff, is a renewable and accessible biodegradable polymer suitable for developing biodegradable films. Teff, the world's tiniest grain, has the potential to be used in developing biodegradable films with improved physical and mechanical properties, making it an ideal candidate for packaging materials.