The research addresses two different challenges: decoupling plastics from fossil fuel resources and enabling a circular economy. To produce bio-based plastics Emma uses byproducts as feedstock and in this way contributes to a more efficient and sustainable use of natural resources.

Everyday products
Many everyday products such as plastic containers, food packaging, and clothing are made of petrochemical-based polymers, but these polymers are known to have a detrimental impact on ecosystems.

Beyond the fact that they are made of petroleum which is not endlessly available, fossil fuel-based polymers are rarely recycled and often end up in landfills where they leach toxins, or in the ocean, threatening aquatic animals and birds. Moreover, as plastic materials degrade in into microplastics, they can also be ingested by humans and cause adverse health effects.

An excellent alternative
Thus, there has been a strong motivation to find alternatives to these polymers to decouple plastics from fossil resources. Cellulose, the most abundant polymer on earth, is an excellent alternative thanks to its biodegradability, low cost, and renewable nature. Cellulose can be found in the cell wall of virtually all plant matter.

In order to not compete with existing food sources, Emma chose to extract the cellulose from a waste product: citrus peels. Using citrus peels, soybean oil, and curcumin, she was able to fabricate edible films that can be used as a packaging material that possesses antibacterial and antioxidant properties.

The jury was impressed by the strong application orientation of Emma’s research and by her social and community involvement.

About the Green Talent Award

Every year since 2009, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) hosts the prestigious Green Talents – International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development to promote the international exchange of innovative green ideas from various fields of research.

This year, a high-ranking jury of expert scientists selected 25 up-and-coming researchers among 589 applicants from 87 countries on the basis of their scientific excellence and innovation potential. Selected by a jury composed of high-ranking of German experts, the award winners are granted unique access to the country’s research elite and the opportunity to complete a fully-funded research stay of up to three months at a German institution of the awardee’s choice in 2021. 

Emma's research is funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant.