KUANTAN: A lecturer from a public university here has successfully fabricated biodegradable films from natural waste as replacement for common plastic.
Norashikin Mat Zain, 27, of Universiti Malaysia Pahang’s (UMP) chemical and natural resources engineering faculty used banana stems as raw material to produce economically and environmental-friendly biodegradable plastics for packaging.
“I used to watch my farmer father cut bananas from the plants and discard the stems.
“It made me think that the stem, deemed as waste, must have some practical uses,” she told a press conference held yesterday to announce her accomplishment and that of a colleague, Zamzuri Hamedon, at a recent international invention show in London.
Norashikin won a gold medal and two special awards for best inventions in environment innovation (Henry Goh Award) for her product during the British Invention Show held at Alexandra Palace in London on Oct 14-17.
Zamzuri, 38, of the manufacturing and technology engineering faculty, won a gold medal each for two products — Universal External Hinge Fixator (UniHF) — designed with a simple technique for treatment of joint contractures without open surgery — and Multi-Purpose Spring Activated Pole (SAP) comprising locking, extension and pole designed for multi-purpose use.
Zamzuri said he got the idea after a friend had to pay RM32,000 for a limb operation following an accident.
UMP vice chancellor Datuk Dr Daing Nasir Ibrahim, who was present, lauded their achievements.
No comments:
Post a Comment