Drinking through a paper straw can quickly become soggy and uncomfortable.
It is said that domestic researchers have developed an eco-friendly paper straw that is 100% biodegradable and does not easily get wet.
It is said that the research team of Dr. Dong-yeop Oh and Ho-jung Kwak of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology and Professor Je-young Park of Sogang University developed this straw.
According to the research team, conventional paper straws are not entirely made of paper.
Paper straws get soggy when they come in contact with liquid, so you have to coat the surface.
The coating is the same substance used in plastic bags and adhesives.
Accordingly, the research team synthesized polybutylene succinate, a representative biodegradable plastic, and made a coating material by adding a small amount of cellulose nanocrystal, the main component of which is paper-like.
The coating material adheres evenly and firmly, so the straw does not easily get wet.
In addition, the experiment showed that it lost more than 50% of its weight in 60 days in seawater and completely disappeared and decomposed after 120 days.