Project 156: Preparation of Biodegradable Plastics from Waste Shells
Contact Information:
Assoc. Prof. Xi Chen
Email: chenxi-lcc@sjtu.edu.cn
Project Description and Objectives:
Waste resources utilization is a pivotal topic for the sustainable development of the society to promote carbon circulation and reduce carbon emission. “Waste-to-wealth” is the idea to transform the waste materials generated in industrial activities and daily life activities into valuable products such as chemicals, materials, etc. This internship program focuses on the manufacturing of biodegradable plastics and other value-added chemicals from waste crab/shrimp shells or woody biomass such as wheat straws. Some tools that may be applied to solve problems in the projects mainly include catalytic techniques and simple machine learning skills to deal with the data. The objectives are to reinforce the awareness of the students on waste utilization, equip them with some frontier techniques to change the waste into useful products, and enable them to command basic skills in experimental design, data processing, and critical thinking so that they can contribute to relevant fields in the future to protect the environment and mitigate carbon emission.
Eligibility Requirements:
Have a relevant background (Environment, Chemistry, Engineering, etc.).
Main Tasks:
Establish a feasible process to transform waste shell-derived chitosan into biodegradable plastic bags with good properties.
Website:
Lab: N/A