Dead flies could be turned into environmentally-friendly plastic, research finds

Dead flies could be turned into environmentally-friendly plastic: Black soldier flies could be turned into biodegradable plastic, helping reduce plastic production while reducing pollution, The Guardian writes, citing research by Texas A&M University. The researchers used adult flies — regarded as waste in fly farms due to their short life span — to produce the polymers. Fly farms are often established to provide feed for animals.

The recycled plastic could be used to build products needed for climate adaptation: Using the remains of the flies, the researchers were able to create a hydrogel — a network of polymer chains with an ability to absorb water — to absorb a lot of water during flood periods, to then be slowly released during droughts, according to the principal investigator. The hydrogel built was able to absorb 47 times its weight.

Why black soldier flies? Black soldier flies have an exoskeleton that is rich in nutritious compounds like chitin, which is a sugar-based polymer that provides support for insects, and is extracted by humans for chitin powder, the news outlet describes. The flies can also consume any plastic waste from the process, contributing to a circular system of zero waste as they do not have any competing uses like sugarcane, for example.

The region is looking for creative ways to recycle waste: Saudi Arabia’s Sabic and Aramco along with France’s TotalEnergies were able to transform plastic waste into circular polymers for the first time in the MENA region. Morocco set up a MAD 1 bn textile recycling project to recycle fabric waste from textile factories in the country. UAE’s Terrax is importing a new technology from Brazil to recycle waste into plywood materials.

And it’s not the first time animal waste is repurposed: New-York fashion based startup TomTex created biodegradable leather using the chitosan in shrimp shells to produce a product that feels and looks like leather.

Plastic plays a main role in the climate crisis: Plastic production generated 1.8 bn metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 globally. It is estimated that from 2010 to 2025, Egypt’s level of plastic waste will double from 0.25 to about 0.5 megatons annually. The UAE has an annual overall waste of 912.5 kilogram per capita. Plastic affects marine life and damages soil and it has toxic chemicals that may cause fatal diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease.