IIT Roorkee Develops Water-Soluble Coating To Replace Plastic In Disposable Paper

A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, IIT Roorkee, has developed a water-soluble coating for disposable paper that will be used in various applications requiring food freshness retention and will replace plastic coatings commonly used in food-grade packaging papers and paperboards.

The novel coating composition intends to reduce the usage of plastic in disposable paper and paperboard goods, so contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable society. This technology has a large positive influence on the environment by enabling the recycling of disposable products, enhancing waste material collection, and lowering the strain on landfill sites. Prof Dharam Dutt, Prof Millie Pant, Prof Akshay Dvivedi, Dr Anurag Kulshreshtha, and Mr Brahma Prakash from IIT Roorkee explained the technology's features.

This technology will be a huge step forward in reducing solid municipal waste and converting disposable paper and paperboard materials into recyclable materials, which is now a significant difficulty. The method tackles environmental concerns and recycles disposable paper trash by transforming it into value-added products.

Given the environmental risks, many countries, including India, have moved to outlaw "Single-Use Plastics." While the regulations have been formalised and implemented, greater momentum in enforcing this restriction is required to produce visible outcomes. IIT Roorkee's invention of a water-soluble coating greatly adds to the Clean India and Make in India efforts, becoming a game changer.

Overall, the transfer of technology for a water-soluble coating for disposable paper has the potential to have a substantial positive influence on society by promoting sustainability, reducing plastic waste, enhancing waste management, and assisting the expansion of the MSME sector.