{"id":46935,"date":"2024-04-30T11:54:25","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T15:54:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/chembe\/?post_type=news&p=46935"},"modified":"2024-04-30T13:06:54","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T17:06:54","slug":"lost-in-the-sauce-biodegradable-condiment-packets-combat-landfill-waste","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/chembe\/news\/lost-in-the-sauce-biodegradable-condiment-packets-combat-landfill-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost in the Sauce: Biodegradable Condiment Packets Combat Landfill Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Johns Hopkins chemical and biomolecular engineering<\/a> student design team, Lost in the Sauce<\/a>, has created a prototype of a biodegradable condiment packet that can easily be recycled and could help eliminate the waste generated by today\u2019s ubiquitous single-use packets. An estimated 850 billion condiment packets are discarded yearly, with only 10% being recycled due to their dual plastic and aluminum construction, making separate recycling difficult.<\/p>\n

Creating biodegradable and compostable packaging for liquids is a challenge. According to the students, several companies have tried to tackle this problem, but none have been able to produce packets that work with liquid components.<\/p>\n

Lost in Sauce\u2019s packets are manufactured from cardstock paper dipped into a whey protein isolate solution (a byproduct of the dairy industry) that has been chemically manipulated to form a gel-like structure, creating a barrier between the paper packaging and oxygen.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce it dries, it creates a watertight seal around the cardstock. The material can then be folded and cut to create a condiment packet,\u201d said team member Mira Amin.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s product plan placed third in the General Ventures category of HopStart 2024<\/a>, the Center for Leadership Education\u2019<\/a>s annual event challenging students to develop a business plan around a novel idea and pitch their plans to industry leaders. The students will present their prototype at the Whiting School of Engineering\u2019s annual Design Day<\/a> on May 1.<\/p>\n

\"A

A schematic of the sauce packet design.<\/p><\/div>\n

One thing that sets Lost in the Sauce\u2019s approach apart is the team\u2019s product\u2019s shape. Unlike the flimsy packets traditionally used for hold ketchup, mayonnaise and other condiments, Lost in the Sauce\u2019s container resembles a small juice box.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shape allows the package to be produced using existing manufacturing methods for other products like juice boxes and milk cartons,\u201d said team member Evan Edelman.<\/p>\n

The students are now exploring the addition of a natural plasticizer, such as beeswax or vegetable oil, to improve the packets\u2019 water-barrier properties and make the gel a bit easier to handle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is necessary to ensure the cardstock is not disintegrated by the condiments inside,\u201d said Alastair Powers.<\/p>\n

The idea for the product stemmed from the amount of misinformation about recycling the team encountered during the product brainstorming stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, we found several sources indicating that pizza boxes were not recyclable. We thought that was absurd and it turns out it was: Pizza boxes are recyclable,\u201d said member Noah Zahn. \u201cSo, we started thinking about the sustainability and recyclability of other common single-use items and learned about the unsustainability of condiment packets.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-46935","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news_categories-research","news_categories-students","news_categories-undergraduate"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLost in the Sauce: Biodegradable Condiment Packets Combat Landfill Waste - Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/chembe\/news\/lost-in-the-sauce-biodegradable-condiment-packets-combat-landfill-waste\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lost in the Sauce: Biodegradable Condiment Packets Combat Landfill Waste - 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