Discarded Cloths: Turning Textile and Plastic Waste into Sustainable Protein-Based Plastics

Title: Discarded Cloths: Turning Textile and Plastic Waste into Sustainable Protein-Based Plastics
Description: Recorded lecture by Dr. Challa Kumar, emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Connecticut, presented as part of the Museum Lyceum series. Kumar discusses his research developing biodegradable, compostable protein-based plastics made from recycled textiles, as an alternative to conventional plastics. The talk addresses the scale of global plastic waste (an estimated 400 million tons annually) and textile waste (92 million tons annually), and the carbon dioxide emissions associated with plastics manufacturing. Kumar's research has resulted in two patents filed by UConn's Technology Commercialization Services (TCS), with commercialization discussions ongoing with industrial partners.
Creator: Kumar, Challa
Subject: Textile waste; Plastics -- Environmental aspects; Biodegradable plastics; Recycling; Protein-based materials; Sustainable materials; Greenhouse gas mitigation
Publisher: Windham Textile and History Museum
Contributor: University of Connecticut, Department of Chemistry; UConn Technology Commercialization Services
Date: 2024-05
Type: Sound; Event
Source: Museum Lyceum lecture series, Windham Textile and History Museum
Language: eng
Relation: Museum Lyceum series (WTHM)
Coverage: Willimantic, Connecticut, 2024
Audience: General public; adult learners
Rights: In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

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