Harvard report on plastics highlights biotechnology patented by UAA researchers
by Green & Gold News |
The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School recently published a key policy paper that proposes a framework for curbing global marine plastic pollution, "Policy and Action on Plastics in the Arctic Ocean." Among several research and policy recommendations, the report advances UAA's Rhizoform LLC as a positive example of how innovators and industry can work together to solve the plastic pollution problem:
"Rhizoform LLC is a bio-materials startup company that has developed a mycelium-based packaging product substitutes for polystyrene to insulate shipments of fish, as well to insulate houses. This, and other bio-based materials, offer fully biodegradable alternatives to plastic that could both decrease the demand for new plastic as well as limit the amount of plastic that Arctic communities have to process through waste management facilities or as waste to be retrieved from the environment." Read the full report.
Rhizoform was co-founded by UAA public health professor Philippe Amstislavski and UAA civil engineering professor Joey Yang. The team's recently patented biotechnology produces thermally insulating foams that are renewable, biodegradable and zero-waste. The startup aims to fully develop this technology and bring the product to market for use in the building and fishing industries.
The Belfer Center report draws from an October 2019 workshop that convened global thought leaders, diverse stakeholders and subject matter experts to spur action on plastics in the Arctic Ocean, one of the focus areas for the Icelandic Chairmanship of the Arctic Council.
Read more about UAA's Rhizoform LLC:
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