Goodbye plastic: a marine-inspired biopolymer that grows stronger in water
Plastic pollution remains one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Its durability and resistance to water make it ideal for industrial use, yet the same properties prevent natural degradation. As a result, plastic accumulates in soils, oceans, and living organisms.
From marine biology to material innovation
A research team at the Institute for Bioengineering in Spain has introduced a new approach on biopolymer. The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC – www.ibecbarcelona.eu), located in the Barcelona Science Park, is a Catalan research institute dedicated to applied biotechnologies, biological materials engineering, and open science. Instead of designing materials that resist the environment by isolating themselves from it, the scientists developed a biodegradable biopolymer that interacts with water and becomes stronger.
The inspiration came from marine biology. While studying the jaws of the marine worm Nereis virens, a polychaete species found in coastal waters of the North Atlantic, researchers observed an unusual behavior. When zinc is removed from the worm’s jaws, its structure absorbs water and softens. This revealed that metal ions play a crucial role in stabilizing biological materials such as chitin.
Chitin is a natural polymer widely present in marine ecosystems. It forms the structural backbone of crustacean shells, insect exoskeletons, and fungal cell walls. In marine environments, chitin represents one of the most abundant biopolymers on Earth, with an estimated annual natural production of around 100 billion tons. This makes it a virtually inexhaustible renewable resource.
Building on this insight, the researchers worked with chitosan, a derivative of chitin obtained through deacetylation. By incorporating controlled amounts of nickel ions into the chitosan matrix, they created a “bio-integrated” material in which water acts as a structural activator rather than a degrading agent. Once hydrated, the material increases its mechanical strength by approximately 50 percent, outperforming many conventional plastics in humid conditions.
A zero-waste production cycle rooted in marine resources
Beyond its performance, the innovation stands out for its production model. The process operates in a closed-loop system. Nickel ions that do not bind to the polymer structure are fully recovered from the immersion water and reused for subsequent production batches. This eliminates waste and prevents metal discharge into the environment.
The marine origin of chitin adds further sustainability value. Large quantities can be sourced from shrimp and crab shells, fisheries by-products, and other biological residues. This opens opportunities for localized production chains connected to coastal communities and seafood processing industries.
Such a material could have direct applications in wet and marine contexts, including fishing gear, aquaculture components (e.g. mussel farming), agricultural nets, packaging for liquids, and potentially medical devices, as both chitosan and nickel are already used in biomedical fields.
For coastal economies and blue innovation strategies, this marine-inspired approach represents a powerful reminder that the future of sustainable materials may lie within the biological intelligence of the ocean itself.
