The New Straits Times, April 26, 1999
A MULTIDISCIPLINARY approach in a USM research project has bagged a silver medal for the Malaysian Invention Category at the recent International Invention, Innovation, Industrial Design & Technology 1998 (I.TEX '98) held in Kuala Lumpur.
The recognition is for a joint research group, comprising researchers from the National Poison Centre and the School of Biological Sciences, which was involved in a project to enhance a potential value-added material - biodegradable plastic - from palm oil.
The research team comprised Associate Professor Mohamed Isa Abd Majid from the National Poison Centre, and Dr Razip Samian, Associate Professor Mohd Nazalan Mohd Najimud and Associate Professor Mohd Azizan Mohd Noor.
Since 1990, the research project sought to address the practice of disposing of non-biodegradable plastic products which are detrimental to the ecosystem. Right from the outset the group focused on developing a renewable and environmental friendly production technology. The project was funded by the IRPA research grant.
At the I.TEX exhibition, the group highlighted three different types of biodegradable plastic that could be synthesised from palm oil by using two local microorganisms.
Although these plastics have been widely reported to be synthesised commercially from carbohydrate sources by the American company Monsanto, the USM method differs in the use of the lipid biochemical pathway which has been proven to be more efficient.
The microorganism Erwinia sp.USM1-20 has proven to be capable of producing these polymers and a research paper on it has been accepted to appear in an international journal.
Besides this, the ability of these two microorganisms in utilising the lipid sources has attracted the attention of the United States Department of Agriculture, which proposed a joint research to further develop the microorganisms and expand the raw materials to include solid fats.
In expanding the research, the group is also using recombinant DNA technology to clone and characterise the genes responsible for producing the plastics. Once these genes have been identified, the group intends to transfer them into local plants to reduce the cost of producing the plastics and make them available as commodity plastics.
With the award, USM is now being recognised for introducing new value-added materials from our primary commodity as well as local microorganisms. This is a positive development for commercial production of green technology which could be utilised for the benefit of future generations.
