That’s why the disposable paper dishes you use are usually coated with wax or polyethylene, which is a type of plastic. Those coatings allow paper cups to hold liquid without leaking, but they also keep the dishes from being able to decompose naturally.
A group of researchers at Penn State University, led by Jeff Catchmark, is trying to change that by coming up with a compostable coating for paper products. Catchmark, who teaches agricultural engineering, focuses his research on cellulose the main component of plant materials including wood and cotton. The Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center awarded his group a $30,000 grant toward finding a new, natural coating for disposable paper dishes, and they are partnering with a manufacturer he can’t identify publicly.
“There’s a huge demand for these disposables,” Catchmark says. If his group is successful, it could mean the development of paper utensils, dishes and packing material that could be buried underground and turn into compost.
He says the plan is to develop a prototype based on biologically derived materials that could be applied to paper products. It’s not clear what material that would be, but the lab is studying several, most of which are already added to food for various purposes. Candidates include natural carbohydrates called polysaccharides and calcium carbonate, which is sometimes used as a dietary supplement.
Source: Jeff Catchmark, Penn State University
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen