# Sustainable bioplastics from amyloid fibril-biodegradable polymer blends

**Authors:** Mohammad Peydayesh, Massimo Bagnani, Raffaele Mezzenga  
**arXiv:** [2105.14287](https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.14287)  
**Date:** 2021-05-29  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2105.14287v1/

## Key points

- Plastic waste production is a major global challenge with devastating effects on the planet's ecosystem
- Sustainable and green solutions are urgently needed along with stronger regulations and improved ecological awareness
- A simple, scalable, and water-based process has been proposed to produce free-standing, transparent, and flexible bioplastic films by combining amyloid fibrils with biodegradable polymers
- Whey is used as a model protein to create sustainable biodegradable and environmentally friendly bioplastics that are perfectly integrated within a circular economy
- The new class of bioplastics has the potential to play an important role in mitigating plastic pollution challenges
- Advantages of this method include simplicity in production processes, transparency suitable for packaging applications, flexibility for various forms such as bags or wraps, and natural degradation without leaving harmful residues.

## Summary

Plastic waste production is a major global challenge with its accumulation in the environment causing devastating effects on the planet's ecosystem. To address this issue, sustainable and green solutions are urgently needed along with increasingly stronger regulations and improved ecological awareness. In this study, Mohammad Peydayesh, Massimo Bagnani and Raffaele Mezzenga propose a simple, scalable and water-based process to produce free-standing, transparent and flexible bioplastic films by combining amyloid fibrils with biodegradable polymers as two main building blocks. Whey is used here as a model protein since it is the major by-product of dairy industries. Its valorization creates an opportunity to produce sustainable biodegradable and environmentally friendly bioplastics that are perfectly integrated within a circular economy. The authors highlight the sustainability superiority of these bioplastics over common plastics and other types of bioplastics via a detailed life cycle assessment. This new class of bioplastics has the potential to play an important role in mitigating the pressing plastic pollution challenge. The proposed method offers several advantages such as simplicity in production processes which can be easily scaled up for industrial applications; transparency which makes them suitable for packaging applications; flexibility which allows them to be used in various forms such as bags or wraps; and most importantly their ability to degrade naturally without leaving behind harmful residues. Overall, this study presents an innovative approach towards producing sustainable bioplastics that offer significant environmental benefits compared to traditional plastics while also providing opportunities for economic growth within circular economies.