Press Herald quotes Wahle in article on turning lobster shells into plastic

The Portland Press Herald quoted Rick Wahle, a professor of marine biology and director of the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine, in the article, “Researchers find new way to convert lobster shells into durable plastic.” Researchers at McGill University in Montreal are creating plastic from chitin, a material present in the exoskeletons of arthropods like shrimp, lobsters, crabs and insects, the article states. Their work builds on research at other universities using chitin and chitosan, a derivative, to create flexible food packaging and medical supplies. It’s a way to produce a resilient, nontoxic material from shells that otherwise would go to waste, the Press Herald reported. “We’re dealing with such volumes of lobster now, much of which is going to processors for value-added product,” said Wahle. “There are more lobster shells in the waste stream than there has ever been. To find an application, especially as a replacement for single-use plastics, would be amazing.” The Sun Journal carried the Press Herald article.