(TVU) – Won the second prize of the “Green Creative Ideas” contest in Tra Vinh province in 2021, the idea of a biodegradable lunchbox made from bagasse by authors Nguyen Minh Chanh and Huynh Phat Tai, students of Veterinary Medicine A, in 2020, partly solves the problem of environmental pollution.
Take advantage of available materials to protect the environment
The product’s raw materials are mainly bagasse, which can decompose completely in the environment without bad influences on animals and human health. The product has antibacterial and anti-mold properties, ensuring the users’ quality and safety.
The idea of a biodegradable lunch box was conducted to reduce biological waste, protect the environment and human health and produce organic substances for plants; take advantage of the available and abundant raw materials in the vicinity, and solve economic problems and jobs for people.
The raw materials to make the product are derived from waste, which contributes to solving the burden of environmental pollution. And because it is made from 100% natural materials, animals would be safe in case they accidentally eat the product. After use, the lunch box could be placed under the tree and become biological fertilizers for plants.
Innovative and feasible products
Nguyen Minh Chanh, the Creative Ideas Manager, said: “Nowadays, the process of urbanization is taking place strongly in big cities. Along with that, the explosion of personal vehicles has made the environment seriously polluted, especially in urban areas. The excessive use of plastic utensils makes environmental pollution more and more serious. We need to replace the habits of using toxic plastic with safer materials. Green, quality and healthy products have become a common trend for people’s use these days; especially, when the whole world is calling for a restriction on the use of plastic bags, and environmentally friendly items are getting more attention. Bagasse is considered one of the great suggestions for people’s uses. The waste reduction technology in the idea of biodegradable lunch box was created, responding to the common movement to protect human health and protect the natural environment.”
Sharing about the production process, Huynh Tan Tai, a member of the idea group, said that the product implementation process applied specialized technology and equipment to limit the risks and simplified the idea-making process.
After squeezing sugarcane to get its juice, the remaining bagasse was collected and treated. The raw material was then transported to the factory to check for its quality. The bagasse selected must be clean and unchangeable by fermenting microorganisms. The use of lunch boxes from bagasse helps consume a large amount of sugarcane waste, limiting the impact on the environment.
Bagasse materials, after checking was processed into a powder. The transformation mechanism adopted hydraulic grinding and conducted autoclaving at high temperatures and pressure. A hydraulic turbine breaker was responsible for the saponification of the separation of fibers. Thanks to the fiber separation process, the bonding capacity of the fibers could be increased.
The additional materials were added to increase the waterproofing of the material. The powder was then adjusted to the moisture content to increase the pressing process of the lunch box.
After having powder, a box-shaped pressing process was made. This process was considered an important step; up to 90% of the water content was removed at this stage. The heating process was carried out at the same time as the product pressing process.
Products after being manufactured were subjected to make shapes. The lunch boxes were divided into different batches depending on their shape, size, and color. Each lunch box was checked with a metal detector to ensure they reached the product and food safety levels. After packaging, the products were taken to use in stores and supermarkets.
Thanks to its advantages of being natural, safe for the environment and human health, and without carcinogenic, the biodegradable lunch box made from bagasse is supposed to be a favorite product in the near future.
My Nhien
