A brewing byproduct is set to become an industry solution to beer cup wastage thanks to a fisherman who became obsessed with inventing a biodegradable plastic.<\/p>\n
Nelson man Mohi Healey’s idea for a biodegradable plastic beer\u00a0cup has been given a $40,000 green light as part of a\u00a0DB Export campaign.<\/p>\n
A\u00a0deckhand on the\u00a0Sanford-owned deep sea factory trawler San Enterprise,\u00a0Healey has spent years researching\u00a0turning waste into biodegradable plastics,\u00a0prompted by his concern to reduce plastics.<\/p>\n
Nelson fisherman Mohi Healey’s idea for a biodegradable plastic cup alternative has been given a $30,000 development kickstart and $10,000 cash prize as part of DB Export’s ‘drink beer to save the world’ marketing campaign.<\/p>\n
“I think it’s just the way I’m wired, I’m always thinking and studying the world around me wondering what the next big thing needs to be.The\u00a0crew…\u00a0often joke that all I talk about is biodegradable plastic.”<\/p>\n
While working to\u00a0develop\u00a0bioplastic\u00a0films as a potential\u00a0alternative for food and beverage industry packaging,\u00a0Healey began looking into brewers’ spent grains as a possible solution.<\/p>\n
Healey’s\u00a0aim was to use spent grains – a byproduct from the brewing process –\u00a0to develop\u00a0Polyhydroxyalkanoates\u00a0(PHA)\u00a0which is a 100 per cent\u00a0biodegradable, marine degradable and digestible polymer that can be manufactured into\u00a0bioplastic\u00a0pellets.<\/p>\n
The pellets can\u00a0be used in traditional manufacturing processes to produce consumer products, starting with\u00a0drinking cups.\u00a0Healey said the possibilities were potentially\u00a0“endless”, given most\u00a0plastic items\u00a0can be produced from this material.<\/p>\n