Danish students from Kingscliff TAFE investigate seaweed as a plastic alternative
Danish technology students visiting a Cultural Study Tour at Kingscliff TAFE last year enjoyed a range of learning programs whilst experiencing Australian culture and lifestyles. This initiative is in collaboration with the Aalborg Technical College in Denmark. In their Technology Unit, the students worked on options to replace single-use petroleum-based soft plastics with seaweed bioplastic.
The students looked into the use of seaweed in applications such as nutraceuticals and foods, animal feed, bioremediation, aquaculture biofuel and bioplastic.
Bioplastic in particular has become a priority for many industries as an alternative to petroleum-based plastic.
Reducing plastic use and plastic pollution is an urgent matter. Plastic makes up approximately 80% of global marine debris, equivalent to around 14 million tonnes of plastic entering oceans every year, posing threats to our marine life through illness, injury and death from plastic ingestion or entanglement (IUCN 2021).
Seaweed produced in regenerative aquaculture has a range of benefits: its production does not use arable land (land used to grow crops) and there is no need for freshwater, fertiliser, pesticides or herbicides. Seaweed bioplastics are also readily biodegradable and compostable.
Students examined the potential role for seaweed bioplastics by designing and making a range of products including disposable gloves, plastic film, laminating pouches and a range of food packaging such as food wraps for sushi, sandwiches and sweets.
One of the groups created their own version of water bubbles, a type of edible capsule made from seaweed
plastic that contains drinking water. Water bubbles have been used to replace water bottles in events like marathons.
The TAFE students observed that even though bioplastics can be a better alternative to petroleum-based plastic, further investigation is needed to determine and test bioplastic’s suitability. The students highlighted the need to
The students linked their project with some of the United Nations 2023 Sustainable Development Goals; Climate Action (goal 13), Life below Water (goal 14), and Life on Land (goal 15).
TAFE teacher Aaron Carle, and course coordinator Isabela Keski-Frantti, passionate ambassadors of marine life and youth education, were delighted to see the students embrace solutions-driven science initiatives.
Isabella has been a participant in Tweed Shire Council’s Community Action Network and Tweed Sustainability Awards and is passionate and engaged on sustainability issues.
Isabela said: “Our students have done presentations on a range of seaweed applications, and have made seaweed bioplastic, designed and created an end product to substitute petroleum-based single-use soft plastic items. It's been great!”
Student E.A was pleased with the learning and said: “I will take my knowledge about the benefits of seaweed with me in other situations surrounding the climate change and the environment generally.”