{"id":161995,"date":"2025-12-03T12:00:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pb.edu.pl\/2025\/12\/03\/wiadro-z-lupin-pestek-slonecznika-albo-tataraku-politechnika-bialostocka-bada-biodegradowalne-materialy-nowej-ery\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T14:21:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T13:21:11","slug":"a-bucket-of-sunflower-seed-shells-or-sweet-flag-bialystok-university-of-technology-is-researching-biodegradable-materials-for-a-new-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pb.edu.pl\/en\/2025\/12\/03\/a-bucket-of-sunflower-seed-shells-or-sweet-flag-bialystok-university-of-technology-is-researching-biodegradable-materials-for-a-new-era\/","title":{"rendered":"A bucket of sunflower seed shells or sweet flag? Bialystok University of Technology is researching biodegradable materials for a new era"},"content":{"rendered":"
Bialystok University of Technology is leading a consortium researching next-generation biodegradable materials. The first batch of fully biodegradable buckets, made from sunflower seed husks or calamus, is now available.<\/div>\n
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The circular economy presents a challenge for scientists worldwide. Bialystok University of Technology is leading a consortium researching next-generation biodegradable materials. Biodegradable buckets made from sunflower seed husks or sweet flag are the first tangible results of the international consortium\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

Not only will they decompose into carbon dioxide and water at the landfill, but they can also be reused as a raw material before they end up in the waste. How is that possible?<\/p>\n

Scientists have long used polylactide \u2013 a biodegradable polymer derived from renewable resources, often produced from materials like corn or sugar cane. It is widely used as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plastics, with applications in industries such as agriculture, forestry, packaging, horticulture, bioengineering, and biomedical engineering. It is processed using traditional pressure methods, such as injection moulding, extrusion, and thermoforming. It is also widely used in 3D printing.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Polylactide is considered by the industry to have insufficient mechanical properties \u2013 explains Marek Ja\u0142brzykowski, DSC, PhD, Eng., a professor at Bialystok University of Technology\u2019s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Materials Engineering and Production. \u2013 In fact, it has very good mechanical properties, comparable to traditional engineering plastics like polycarbonate, polyamide, and ABS. However, its main drawback is its brittleness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Researchers at Bialystok University of Technology have decided to address this issue while adhering to the principle of zero waste.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Due to its polarity, polylactide does not want to bond with anything \u2013 admits Prof. Ja\u0142brzykowski. \u2013 This means that adding any additive to it leads us to expect an improvement in its mechanical properties, but it turns out they are only worse.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Proving that polylactide with additives would be an ideal material for industry was a challenge taken on by an entire international consortium. And so, buckets with a rather complex shape were created.<\/p>\n

– It didn’t really matter whether it was a bucket, a litter tray, a bowl, a plate, a spoon, or a fork, – laughs Professor Ja\u0142brzykowski. \u2013 Our point was that the larger the product, and the longer or more difficult it is to inject or press, the harder it will be to design a universal or functional material. At the same time, if it meets these difficult criteria, it will certainly meet the simpler ones, such as simple injections or extrusion operations. That\u2019s why we chose a more challenging object.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The researchers, led by Bialystok University of Technology, were tasked with verifying scientific considerations and laboratory tests in a real-world production or industrial setting.<\/p>\n

\u2013 We asked Pimar-Plastics for support, and they agreed to help us with industrial trials \u2013 says Prof. Ja\u0142brzykowski. \u2013 It\u2019s within a company, under industrial conditions, that we can verify and prove that a new material is suitable for injection moulding, extrusion, and thermoforming, and that the products manufactured using these techniques meet quality requirements.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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