Plastipak Packaging, Inc., a leading innovator in the packaging and recycling industries, has made a gift to the Michigan State University (MSU) School of Packaging (SoP) to support a major expansion to the SoP building. Plastipak’s donation will be used to support a transformational expansion project approved by the MSU Board of Trustees in February 2024 that will double the …
As the industry surrounding electric vehicles evolves, a lithium-ion battery is emerging that could have a market value of $35 billion by 2030. Considering the average life span of lithium-ion batteries is about 10 years, the need for innovative recycling strategies is becoming urgent. Researchers at Michigan State University will use $706,000 from the Michigan …
A team of researchers at Michigan State University’s (MSU) School of Packaging has received research funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to produce environmentally low-impact packaging solutions as alternatives to non-biodegradable and single-use options. The grant falls under EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Program and funds Phase II of the 18th Annual …
Blending PLA with thermoplastic starch promotes sustainable biodegradation of PLA under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions without creating microplastics. Breaking It Down: How Thermoplastic Starch Enhances Poly(lactic acid) Biodegradation in Compost─A Comparative Analysis of Reactive Blends Pooja C. Mayekar, , Wanwarang Limsukon, Anibal Bher, and Rafael Auras* School of Packaging, Michigan State University, 448 Wilson Road, …
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $8,492,000 in grant funding to four institutions for research on the occurrence and concentration of pathogens and disinfection by-products and the environmental conditions favorable to their growth in drinking water distribution systems. “New strategies for monitoring and controlling contaminants in drinking water will help ensure that science …
Researchers from Michigan State University’s top-ranked School of Packaging have developed a way to make a promising, sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics more biodegradable. A team led by Rafael Auras has made a bio-based polymer blend that’s compostable in both home and industrial settings. The work is published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & …
MSU School of Packaging Professor Muhammad Rabnawaz was named a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors this year, an elite group of scientists and faculty members who have demonstrated a legacy of innovations and patents that can positively impact the world. Dr. Rabnawaz, who started his tenure at Michigan State in 2016, has …
Dr. Muhammad Rabnawaz, assistant professor in the School of Packaging and professor in the Chemistry Department, is developing new ways to create plastics. Rabnawaz is researching ways to produce biodegradable plastics and recycle polymers. He utilized resources at the MSU Innovation Center to assist on the technological side of his work and stated that the …
This article has been reposted from MSUToday. New MSU packaging technology protects paper products used in food service from oil and water without adding harmful pollutants to the environment Michigan State University’s Muhammad Rabnawaz has created a new coating for paper packaging that’s both economical and ecofriendly. The coating, developed by Rabnawaz’s Sustainable Materials Group, …
Dr. Muhammad Rabnawaz is making the world a greener place through his research in paper at Michigan State University. Rabnawaz, assistant professor in the School of Packaging and adjunct professor in the Department of Chemistry, is researching and developing smarter and more environmentally-friendly packaging solutions. He recently developed of a new kind of paper. …
