Every year, the EU emits 13.4 Mt of CO₂ solely from plastic production, with 99% of all plastics being produced from fossil fuel sources, while those that are produced from renewable sources use food products as feedstocks. In 2019, 29 Mt of plastic waste was collected in Europe. It is estimated that 32% was recycled, 43% was incinerated and 25% was sent to landfill. It has been estimated that life-sciences (biology, medicine, etc.) alone create plastic waste of approximately 5.5 Mt/yr, the majority being disposed of by incineration. The vast majority of this plastic waste is made from fossil fuel sources, though there is a growing interest in the possible use of bioplastics as a viable alternative for single-use lab consumables, such as petri dishes, pipette tips, etc. However, to-date only limited bioplastic replacement examples exist. In this review, common polymers used for labware are discussed, along with examining the possibility of replacing these materials with bioplastics, specifically polylactic acid (PLA). The material properties of PLA are described, along with possible functional improvements dure to additives. Finally, the standards and benchmarks needed for assessing bioplastics produced for labware components are reviewed.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) production using a dairy industrial waste is a more cost-efficient strategy than using an expensive synthetic medium. In this study, we investigated the production of HA using Streptococcus thermophilus under shake flask conditions using dairy industrial waste as nutritional supplements, namely whey permeate (WP) and whey protein hydrolysate (WPH). Preliminary screening using Plackett–Burman design exhibited WP, WPH, initial pH, and inoculum size as significant factors influencing HA titer. Response surface methodology design of four factors was formulated at three levels for enhanced production of HA. Shake flask HA fermentation by S. thermophilus was performed under global optimized process conditions and the optimal HA titer (342.93 mg L⁻¹) corroborates with Box–Behnken design prediction. The molecular weight of HA was elucidated as 9.22–9.46 kDa. The ultralow-molecular weight HA reported in this study has a potential role in drug and gene delivery applications.

Increasing environmental concerns and strict discharge regulations have driven the need for efficient and low-cost treatment methods for industrial effluents. Chromium, particularly in its hexavalent form [Cr(VI)], is one of the most hazardous pollutants present in wastewater due to its high toxicity and carcinogenic nature. This study explores the potential of cassava peels (Manihot esculenta), an abundant agricultural byproduct, as a biosorbent for the rapid removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to assess the influence of various parameters, including adsorbent dosage, initial Cr(VI) concentration, pH, and contact time. Optimal removal was observed at pH 2, with a contact time of just 5 min and an adsorbent dosage of 16 g.L-1, achieving a maximum removal efficiency of 99.53 %. Adsorption equilibrium data were evaluated using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. Among these, the Langmuir model provided the best fit, indicating monolayer adsorption, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 5.076 mg.g-1. The mean adsorption energy calculated from the Dubinin-Radushkevich model (E = 0.997 kJ.mol-1) confirmed that the process was dominated by physisorption. Kinetic analysis showed a strong correlation with the pseudo-second-order model (R² = 1.0), suggesting that the rate-limiting step involves surface interaction between the Cr(VI) ions and functional groups on the cassava peel surface. These findings highlight cassava peels as a promising, renewable, and cost-effective material for the rapid removal of Cr(VI) from industrial wastewater, particularly under acidic conditions.