IChemE - Cellulose Microbeads as a Replacement for Primary Microplastics: From Synthesis to Commercialisation

An estimated 2.3Mn tons of non-biodegradable plastic microbeads are produced every year for use in a wide range of products and applications, e.g. paints, personal care products, abrasives, bio-catalysis and many more. Plastic microbeads accumulate in the environment, eventually finding their way into the human food supply chain, with estimates of more than 250,000 tons of microplastics enter the oceans every year and three times as much ending up contaminating agricultural soil.

Professor Davide Mattia will report on the continuous manufacturing of biodegradable cellulose microbeads as a sustainable alternative to primary microplastics and share learning experiences of transitioning from academic research to product commercialisation.