Biofriendly Waste Shell Powders/Polylactic Acid Composites for Antibacterial Engineering Applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biotechnology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Waste shells from agriculture and aquaculture pose environmental challenges.
• Current recycling methods struggle to enhance both mechanical and antibacterial properties simultaneously.
• There is a need for sustainable materials derived from waste streams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel biocompatible composites from waste shells with improved mechanical and antibacterial performance.
• To investigate the potential of shell-grafting-Ag/polylactic acid (shell-g-Ag/PLA) composites for sustainable applications.
• To address the limitations of existing shell recycling processes.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of shell-g-Ag/PLA composites via in situ reduction of silver ions on polydopamine-modified shell powders.
• Modification of shell powders with polydopamine to enhance compatibility.
• Characterization of mechanical properties and antibacterial performance of the resulting composites.

Main Results:

• The shell-g-Ag/PLA composites exhibited mechanical properties comparable to industrial polymer counterparts.
• The incorporation of silver particles significantly enhanced the antibacterial performance, with a bacterial inhibition width up to ~3.29 mm.
• Improved crystallinity and interface compatibility were observed without sacrificing mechanical integrity.

Conclusions:

• Antibacterial shell-g-Ag/PLA composites offer a sustainable and high-value recycling solution for waste shells.
• These biofriendly composites demonstrate potential for applications in disposable packaging.
• The developed material addresses the dual challenge of poor mechanical and antibacterial performance in recycled shell products.