Dead flies to replace plastic? Promising new developments in biodegradable materials

A discovery regarding the possible industrial use of dead flies was recently presented at an American Chemical Society meeting. The British newspaper "The Guardian" reported that dead robber flies could potentially serve as a resource for producing biodegradable plastic.

"My group has been developing methods for converting natural products into other materials for about 20 years. This can mean, for instance, turning glucose from sugarcane or trees into degradable, digestible polymers that do not linger in the environment," explained Karen Wooley, a senior researcher at Texas A&M University.

The waste left over from breeding the hermetia illucens fly species might also be useful, said researchers. Although the larvae from these flies, rich in proteins and nutritional elements, are utilized in animal feed production, adult flies are not presently used for anything.

Chitin, a sugar-based polymer located in fly bodies, fortifies their exteriors. Researchers hope this material might provide a basis for creating bioplastic derived from flies, potentially reducing soil pollution.

"Our ultimate goal is for insects to eat plastic waste, which would feed them. Then, we could collect them again to produce new plastic. Hence, these insects would not only act as a source of plastic but also assist in eliminating discarded plastic," added Wooley.

Thus far, fly-derived products have created a hydrogel capable of absorbing water 47 times its own weight within a minute. This hydrogel could be used in agricultural fields to soak up floodwater and gradually release moisture during drought periods.