Dr. Keeran Ward tells Loop Trinidad that he worked on Ooho while attending Imperial College. The UWI version aims to improve Ooho’s membrane by using Sargassum seaweed. The problem with Ooho’s membrane is that it “sweats,” which would not work for packaging beyond water, such as fruit juice or wine, he adds.
“SkippingRocksLab approached me about using alginate, the element in seaweed that gives its jelly-like consistency,” he says. “And we came on board to try to optimize their Ooho membrane to create a new prototype.”
“We found that there’s a lot of seaweed from the Sargassum influx which we have between April and May, and we can utilize the polymer seaweed and try to make these membranes,” Ward adds.
The seaweed could also be blended with other biomaterials, such as starch, cellulose, and pectin, to create a more rigid structure. “Our aim is to have a prototype that can be used for various products such as wastewater treatment or plastic remediation, and then we can get investors on board,” he said.