SOURCE: New Straits Times
A team of researchers from Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka’s (UTeM) have developed an innovative plastic container made from tapioca and banana leaves.
The researchers are from the varsity’s Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Technology (FTKMP) and Mechanical Engineering Faculty.
Dr Ridhwan Jumaidin, the team’s chief researcher, who is also FTKMP senior lecturer said the container, shaped like a tray, is environmentally friendly and can be used to package products.
He said the team developed the product over a year using a short-term research grant.
“Unlike regular plastic made from petroleum, which contains toxic chemicals and is non-degradable, the plastic made from tapioca and banana leaves is non-toxic and can decompose in just eight weeks when buried in the ground,” he said in a statement here today (Mar 9).
He added that the innovative product was a type of thermoplastic that is recyclable, thus saving the resources used and adding value to the product.