Biomaterials Lab

 

Biomaterials Lab


 

Plastic insulation like Styrofoam is commonplace in seafood packaging and buildings. But plastics never completely disappear, instead they break up into ever smaller particles or microplastic. These tiny particles are harmful to the soils, marine environment and wildlife, and may affect human health.

Researchers with the Biomaterials Lab seek to better understand the effects of these stray plastic bits. The team is working to solve the global plastic pollution problem by developing insulation that is recyclable, reusable, and biodegradable. Researchers combine design-thinking, microbiology, and physics to dream-up scalable biological materials that store carbon and provide a sustainable vital barrier from the elements.

Their key ingredients to de-carbonizing industries include beetle-kill spruce trees and renewable cellulose that is literally grown in a lab. The Biomaterials Lab is an active innovation platform for new bio-based materials and circular bio-economy solutions in the Circumpolar North. The lab uses norm-critical design thinking as a framework to tackle some of the most pressing environmental and public health problems facing the Arctic today.

 


FEATURED PROJECTS

insulation for buildings

coolers and shippers

fishing gear

 

NEWS & Stories

 


division of population health sciences




 

Upcoming Events

 

Contact Us:
Phone: 907-786-6574
Email: nbbeckage@alaska.edu 


Location:
Biomaterials Lab
Environmental Biomedical Laboratory
3211 Providence Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99508

 

Mailing Address:
Biomaterials Lab
Environmental Biomedical Laboratory
3211 Providence Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99508

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