Erica Sue-Tang, a Research Assistant in Lincoln Agritech’s New Materials Group, has been named as one of 21 finalists in this year’s Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand.

Falling Walls Lab is a global search for world-changing new ideas from students or early-career scientists.

Erica will present her three-minute pitch, titled “Breaking the Wall of Biodegradable Bioplastics”, at the national finals in Wellington on August 7.

Erica said she developed her idea while working on a process for developing cellulose fibres. “The idea really came from the work the team was doing with cellulose fibres. It sparked the thought—what if we could take it further and create a new cellulose-based plastic?”

“Common petroleum-based plastics aren’t renewably sourced or biodegradable and millions of tonnes end up in the environment, creating microplastics.”

Currently available bioplastics aren’t the solution, as few are biodegradable. For example, PLA, made from plant-based sources such as corn, cassava, and sugarcane, contributes to microplastic pollution.

“My idea is a cellulose bioplastic made using renewable resources, which biodegrades into sugars in natural environments.”

Erica’s success follows last year’s success by Lincoln Agritech Research Scientist Alice Sai Louie, who placed second in the national final, and Postdoctoral Researcher Jeff Lang who also made the finals.

The winner of the national event will represent the region and compete at the global event in Berlin in November.