Congratulations to Ms. Piyaon Sriwan, lecturer of Marine Business Department, College of Logistics and Supply Chain, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, who has been awarded the bronze medal for innovative research "Bio-cushioning Material from Banana Trunk" at the 23rd Moscow International Salon of Inventions and Innovative Technologies" ARCHIMEDES "at the Russian Federation using online presentation
She said that "In present, online purchasing becomes more and more popular due to the increase of internet use in daily life. Hence, the shipping and delivery are increasingly demanded. The amount of delivered products were found to be billions per year, which generally required the boxes, glue tape, rope and plastic cushioning materials for each package. When the products were delivered, the packing materials became waste and cannot normally be recycled or reused, especially cushioning materials, so-called single-use plastics. The plastic packaging and other single-use items can form a large proportion of the plastic leaking out into the environment and ocean. As we know, plastic is not only harmful for the environment but also for our health. As more research on the impact of using so much plastic is concerned, an alternative material with more ecofriendly and biodegradable is required for reducing plastic waste. Banana pseudostem, or trunk, was chosen for this work because of its high porosity, low-cost and easy to find in Thailand. Moreover, the lifespan of banana plant is considered short, it produces its fruit and dies. Subsequently, it becomes agriculture waste. Hence, not only reduce the plastic wastes, this work also helps increasing the value of agriculture waste and turning it into the new products."
She also indicated that "The main objective of this project is to reduce the use of plastic in logistics and shipping. Herein, the bio cushioning materials were systematically designed and produced. The process started from cutting the trunk in small pieces before dried them at 50 degree Celsius for 3 hours under vacuum to remove water and reduce its weight, however, the external structure was remained. The final product looked similar to commercial packaging peanut. According to SEM image, the internal structure of banana trunk is remained with the pore size of approximately 8-12 microns. The bio-cushioning material was then tested for package performance by packed with the fragile products, which showed no damage on object during shipping. Consequently, the dried banana trunk can successfully replace the plastic with the properties of biodegradability and low-cost production."
