World-first research uncovers sustainable material for production of plastics

Dr Hao Wang

A breakthrough in natural polymer research by USQ Engineering academic Dr Hao Wang has the potential to revolutionise the production of plastics.

Dr Wang recently returned from three months of Academic Development Leave at North Dakota State University (NDSU), where he worked closely with the University to research alternative ways to manufacture plastics using natural vegetable oils.

At present most plastics are produced using petroleum, which Dr Wang said was not a sustainable practice for the future.

'In recent years a lot of attention has been paid to sustainability and the environment and there are scientists all over the world trying to develop new methods which can produce polymer material from sources other than petroleum,' he said.

'During my time at NDSU I worked with a world-leading research group and used their research facilities to continue the work that I was doing investigating whether vegetable oil could be used for this purpose.

'One type of vegetable oil I tested was hemp oil, which proved to have the highest polymer quality of anything ever tested (oxirane oxygen content 8.0).

'This is a much more sustainable option and the research shows that one day if we run out of petroleum, we will still have a way to produce polymer and plastics using hemp oil.'

With the encouraging results from his latest research Dr Wang is now seeking funding to further his study.

'I have established a research group on natural fibres and natural polymers at USQ’s Centre of Excellence in Engineered Fibre Composites (CEEFC).

'We are going to develop an Australian Research Council (ARC) International Linkage project to continue our collaboration with NDSU.

'Next we will use the hemp oil to reinforce with a natural fibre to produce a totally renewable and green fibre composite.'

As well as being a more sustainable material, Dr Wang is confident that it will also be cheaper to produce.

Contact Details:
Josh Ada, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2559, 0400 025 429