A Recipe for Paring Down Plastic Pollution

LIKE A SPRINKLE OF DOMESTIC magic, those pre-measured pods of detergent, fabric softener and brightener that hit the market more than a decade ago have made life a bit easier. But it’s unclear whether laundry pods, made of a plastic called polyvinyl alcohol, fully dissolve in standard wastewater treatment, potentially leading to less-charmed outcomes for ecosystems and even human health.

That cleaning conundrum, along with impacts from thousands of other kinds of plastic in daily life, prompted University of Maryland engineering researchers to search for biodegradable alternatives—natural substances that mimic plastic without the potentially toxic remains.

“It’s a massive pollution problem with no single solution,” says chemical and biomolecular engineering Assistant Professor Po-Yen Chen. He’s leading the project, which is supported by a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation and stems from a UMD Grand Challenges Grant.

Studies suggest that exposure to plastic additives like BPA and phthalates can disrupt hormones and may trigger inflammation, oxidative stress and DNA damage, while some plastics may increase cancer risk. A recent study even suggests climate effects, finding the presence of these microplastics could be reducing oceans’ ability to absorb atmospheric carbon.

The United Nations estimates that worldwide, people produce more than 430 million metric tons of plastic yearly, with some types persisting in the environment for centuries.

Until recently, the biggest obstacle to Chen’s search for greener products was time; finding formulations that meet a product’s requirements for characteristics like strength, opacity and moisture management is a huge task. “Even with our current library of 23 natural components like cellulose, gelatin, carrageenan, gluten and additives like sorbitol and glycerol, to test all possible combinations would take 1.8 million years,” he says.

Here comes artificial intelligence (AI) to the rescue. With AI, plus robots and computer modeling, “we can do those same tests in just a few months,” Chen says. He likens the process to making soup, adding ingredients in varying proportions “until you get the very tastiest soup you can make”—but in this case robots are adjusting the recipe at lightning speed, learning and applying findings about each ingredient as they go.

Chen’s team focuses on single-use plastics like food packaging. With AI mixing and matching to meet the product’s physical requirements, some clear successes have emerged: For example, in a project with the Food and Drug Administration, the team developed a food film derived from shellfish shells that’s transparent, compostable, moisture-regulating and even antimicrobial. In a comparison study, the team’s alternative wrap significantly outperformed standard plastic wrap at preserving cucumbers, fending off mold and shriveling for 15 days, and gave avocados a longer shelf life, too.

“We don’t expect to get rid of all the plastic already out there,” he says, “but we hope to vastly reduce future production, and pollution, by creating replacements we know to be safe.”

UMD is doubling down on its progress in accelerating solutions to humanity’s most pressing issues in our communities and around the globe through its Grand Challenges Grants Program.

Three years ago, the university awarded $30 million to research teams and individual investigators—50 projects in all, tackling vital questions in areas ranging from global health to safe and efficient energy production to the promotion of economic growth and equality.

That investment has paid off in a surge of $55 million in additional funding for the projects unlocked from external sources.

Now UMD has introduced the Grand Challenges Grants Program 2.0, and will announce funding late this spring for up to 10 creative new institutional and team projects.

“We have been tremendously impressed and inspired by the bold ideas and solutions that resulted from the first round of Grand Challenges Grants and can’t wait to see how the proposals generated for version 2.0 continue to move our campus, state, nation and world fearlessly forward,” Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice and Vice President for Research Patrick O’Shea wrote when announcing the expansion.