Indian-Origin Researcher Has Turned Banana Plant into Packaging Material

An Indian-origin researcher-led team at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) on this recent Friday has made a unique announcement that it has discovered a novel way which can turn banana plantation waste into the packaging material which is not only biodegradable but also recyclable.
Associate Professor Jayashree Arcot and Professor Martina Stenzel have looked at ways for converting agricultural waste into something that could add a great value to the industry it came from, while also potentially solving problems for another.
"What makes the banana growing business particularly wasteful compared to other fruit crops is the fact that the plant dies after each harvest," Arcot from UNSW School of Chemical Engineering, said in a statement.
She added that they were particularly interested in the pseudostems which are basically the layered, fleshy trunk of the plant which is cut down after each harvest and mostly discarded on the field. She also told that some of it is used for textiles, some as compost, but other than that, it's a huge waste.
According to Arcot, banana is growing in industry and produces large amounts of organic waste, with only 12 per cent of the plant being used (the fruit) while the rest parts are discarded after harvest.
Using a reliable supply of pseudostem material extracted from banana plants grown at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, the duo has set to work in extracting cellulose to test its suitability as a packaging alternative.
"The pseudostem is actually 90 per cent water, so the solid material ends up in reducing down to about 10 per cent," Arcot noted.
The UNSW has more than 52,000 students from all across the globe and covering nearly 130 countries, and highest are from India.

By: Prerana Sharma
Content: https://www.timesnownews.com/technology-science/article/indian-origin-researcher-turns-banana-plant-into-packaging-material/521106