Dmytro Bidiuk, an inventor from the Ukrainian city of Sumy, created packaging for food products that does not harm the environment and plans to launch full production this year.
Dmytro Bidiuk, from the Sumy National Agrarian University in northeasten Ukraine, has invented a bioplastic for packaging and is working on film and disposable tableware. Unlike conventional plastic tableware, they biodegrade without leaving harmful residual compounds. His products have won awards at several Ukrainian and international competitions and now Dmytro, together with his partners, is working on developing serial production in Sumy.
- “For as long as I can remember,” Dmytro recalls, “I was always making something with my hands – whether it was a toy gun or some kind of experimenting.”
Over the years, the desire to create and invent didn’t vanish and thoughts turned to more serious things than children’s toys, which is how Dmytro found science. He’s not interested in science for its own sake – he is always searching for practical applications and benefits. Today, this young man is the director of one of the laboratories of the Sumy National Agrarian University.
It all started with a cup
The first invention, which gave Dmytro recognition far beyond his native Sumy, was an accident. Ordinary gelatin, if dried in a certain way, turns into something like plastic. But Dmytro experimented with components that allowed this material to withstand heat. At first he didn't understand how it could be applied, but then came the idea of making a glass for hot drinks. The item looks very similar to an ordinary disposable plastic cup, but with one fundamental difference - if you forget to take it with you after a picnic, in a few months bacteria will decompose the cup into simple, environmentally friendly organic compounds.
It took Dmytro and two student lab assistants six attempts to make the first cup. They then made one more and in May 2018 took both to Kyiv for the annual Innovation Festival organized by the Ministry of Science and Education. Unexpectedly, the project generated lots of interest and won second place in its category.
The biodegradable cups turned Dmytro into a public figure, and he began to be invited to competitions in Ukraine and abroad. That’s how a project under the original local name “Smakotara” (an amalgam of the Ukrainian words “taste” and “container”), evolved into the more recognizable for an international audience “ FoodBioPack.” Under this brand, the inventor from Sumy has continued to create other materials for the food industry that are driven by one philosophy: they don’t pollute the environment or harm nature, and are easily processed or decompose into safe components.
This packaging can be eaten
In a competition organized by the Danish dairy company Arla Foods in Aarhus last October, FoodBioPack presented a film for packaging food products, such as butter or cheese.
Its creation too, was in some measure, an accident. In this case, Dmytro uses polysaccharides - substances with a chemical structure similar to starch - diluted in water. One time a drop of these diluted polysaccharides fell onto the surface of a table and by the morning it had turned into a piece of elastic film.
“It all started with this drop,” he says. It turns out you can make packaging from this film that’s similar to ordinary polyethylene, but decomposes easily in nature. The film can even be eaten without harming you; although the inventor does not encourage this because, after all, it’s a form of packaging not a food.
Thanks to its success at various innovation competitions, major Ukrainian TV channels such as Channel 5 and Inter featured FoodBioPack, as did the BBC.
The BBC Ukrainian service even conducted an experiment to check whether these packages decompose in nature as easily as advertised. Last Fall, the editorial staff buried a sample next to an ordinary polyethylene package in the ground near their office. A month later, the regular plastic bag had not changed at all, whereas the new material had been reduced to small pieces. In warmer weather the decomposition would have been even more advanced, probably leaving no trace.
Despite its environmental friendliness, the film cannot replace standard polyethylene in every case. It’s not as strong and also becomes soggy, so can’t, for example, be used to store milk. But by adding different components to the basic substance the properties of the film can be altered.
Dmytro’s current priority is to experiment with various combinations to create a film that is also suitable for storing non-dry products. Another possible option is to apply a water-resistant substance to the material. But the bottom line is that this must be an environmentally friendly material. It goes without saying that all the formulas and other products are the author’s commercial secret.
Production
At the end of last year, FoodBioPack was awarded the first prize of 500,000 UAH (appox. $19,000) at the Elephant Hackathon held by Carlsberg Ukraine. Dmytro wants to use the money to buy a texturometer for testing the film’s durability and other characteristics.
Dmytro has found potential investors among Ukraine’s business community for future production and they’re currently identifying the proper equipment. Dmytro plans by the end of this year to begin the production of biodegradable packaging and film.
Dmytro says several companies in Ukraine have tried to produce biodegradable film from imported raw material, but the price is much higher than for conventional polyethylene making them of little interest to producers and consumers. He plans eventually to use Ukrainian materials, which according to preliminary estimates would make it not much more expensive than polyethylene film.
Currently in Ukraine there are no restrictions on the use of polyethylene bags and packaging. However, a draft law limiting and regulating the use of polyethylene was presented in the Verkhovna Rada in January.
Until then, Dmytro believes big brand companies focusing on environmentally concerned customers or those exporting to European markets will be interested in his invention.
Facebook: facebook.com/dmytro.bidiuk
Facebook FoodBIOPack: facebook.com/FoodBIOPackUA/
Instagram FoodBIOPack: instagram.com/foodbiopack.ua/
(translated by USUF)
