Originally from Cebu City, Philippines, 23-year-old Denxybel Montinola will showcase the material at the 2019 DOST-BPI Science Awards competition later this week.
“[This] bioplastic is created using components called pectin and carrageenan, which are derived from mango peels and seaweed,” Montinola tells CDN Digital. The material is flexible and has mechanical properties similar to petroleum-based plastics. Montinola picked mango peel and seaweed as feedstock because both are plentiful in Philippines and can be collected sustainably.
“I learned this bioplastic concept when I was just scrolling on Facebook and saw a viral video in which a guy created a bioplastic out of seaweed. And I thought to myself what if I will use my scientific tools and knowledge in Biophysics to recreate his invention and take [it] up a notch higher,” he adds.