The Goal of Rigid Waterproof Covering for Paper Is To Lessen Our Reliance on Plastic

For our sake and the sake of the environment, there is a significant amount of research being conducted into the reduction of plastic for a wide range of uses.

Researchers have discovered a technique to endow comparatively sustainable paper materials with some of plastic's valuable qualities.

This can be done quickly, cheaply, and efficiently.

Choetsu is a coating that not only waterproofs paper but also keeps it flexible and degrades safely.

Waterproof paper

(Photo : Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Plastic pollution is at an all-time high.

It is not only wreaking havoc on the world's seas, but it is also causing a public health crisis that we are only now beginning to address.

It is now more important than ever to develop alternatives to plastic for the welfare of the entire world.

Surprisingly, that option might be paper, a substance we've been using for thousands of years.

It's difficult to deny that plastic materials are generally harmful to the environment. You've surely seen photos of plastic garbage washing up on beaches, contaminating waterways, and killing countless wildlife, as per ScienceDaily.

Nonetheless, considering the pervasiveness of plastic materials in everyday life, the problem sometimes appears to be utterly beyond our control.

Professor Zenji Hiroi of the University of Tokyo's Institute for Solid State Physics and his colleagues investigate how materials science may help, and their new finding seeks to replace some applications of plastic with whatever is more sustainable, paper.

According to Hiroi, the fundamental issue with plastic materials is their inability to decay swiftly and safely.

There are materials that degrade safely, such as paper, but paper cannot satisfy the enormous range of purposes that plastic can.

However, they have discovered a method to offer paper some of the benefits of plastic without the drawbacks.

Also Read: Alarming Report Considers Plastic Pollution as a Planetary Emergency

Choetsu

Choetsu is a low-cost biodegradable coating that improves the waterproofing and resilience of ordinary paper.

It is is a material mixture that, when applied on paper, spontaneously produces a robust and waterproof layer when it comes into touch with moisture in the air.

Paper constructions, such as food containers, are sprayed or dipped in this liquid combination and allowed to dry at room temperature.

The material is composed of inexpensive ingredients such as isopropyl alcohol, methyltrimethoxysilane, and tetrapropyl titanate, as per Daily Beast.

When applied to a paper item, such as a takeaway container or an origami crane, it dries at room temperature, forming a thin layer of silica that strengthens and waterproofs the paper.

The covering also has a dirt- and bacteria-resistant feature, which may keep mold from growing on the paper.

It isn't permanent. The coating will degrade over time into what the researchers believe are innocuous components, such as carbon, water, and grainy silicon.

The chemical, on the other hand, may one day give birth to sprays and coatings that may be applied on paper to give it all the usefulness of plastic without the negative effects on our environment and ourselves.

According to Hiroi, the technological obstacle is accomplished, and some applications, such as objects for eating, packing, or storing food, might be achieved shortly.

They now intend to apply this method to other types of materials as well.

Researchers can tweak the liquid composition for various materials, and also build a speck of dirt and mold-resistant layer that can form on the glass, ceramics, and even other polymers to prolong their usability.

Expert hope that, together with researcher Yoko Iwamiya, who has been researching in such a field for some time, and the rest of my team, they may achieve something genuinely useful for the world.

Related article: Coca Cola Japan Wants to Know if "Filling Your Own Bottles" Will Reduce Plastic Waste