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Proposal for a sustainable alternative to reduce the use of expanded polystyrene in packaging, using a prototype that utilizes coffee grounds and fish scales.
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Researchers developed a sustainable prototype packaging material made from coffee grounds and fish scales as a biodegradable alternative to expanded polystyrene, addressing the environmental persistence, greenhouse gas emissions, and ecosystem harm caused by conventional plastic foam packaging.
This work proposes a sustainable alternative to reduce the use of expanded polystyrene (PE) in packaging, developing a prototype based on coffee grounds and fish scales. PE, widely used for its low cost and versatility, generates serious environmental impacts because it takes centuries to decompose, releases toxic substances, and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. In Colombia, consumption of plastics like PE is high, and its improper disposal affects both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Although there are initiatives to reuse PE, most focus on giving it a secondary use in sectors such as construction and the automotive industry, without addressing the underlying problem of its environmental persistence.
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Researchers used waste coffee grounds as filler material in polypropylene plastic composites to improve sustainability and reduce reliance on virgin plastic. Adding natural biomass waste to plastic formulations can reduce the total plastic content in consumer products, though the composites still produce microplastic fragments during use.
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This mini-review summarizes recycling technologies and emerging applications for expanded polystyrene waste, examining mechanical, chemical, and dissolution recycling methods and their practical feasibility for diverting EPS from landfill in both developed and developing countries.
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Researchers developed a sustainable hybrid foam made from waste seafood chitin and used coffee ground biochar for filtering microplastics from water. The study found that the foam achieved consistently high adsorption efficiency across seawater, river water, and deionized water, particularly for polystyrene microspheres larger than 1 micrometer, offering an eco-friendly approach to microplastic removal.
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