Ramani Narayan
Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science | Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI, UNITED STATES
Expert in biodegradable plastics, biobased and recyclable composites
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Biography
Polymeric materials from renewable resources; biodegradable polymer systems; engineering and design of natural-synthetic polymer graft and block copolymers; polymer blends; studies in reactive extrusion processing, biobased and recyclable composites.
Industry Expertise (5)
Education/Learning
Chemicals
Biotechnology
Plastics
Renewables and Environmental
Areas of Expertise (5)
Renewable Resources
Biodegradable Polymers and Materials
Engineering
Polymers and Plastics
Biobased and Recyclable Composites
Accomplishments (3)
Award of Excellence (professional)
2006-01-01
Awarded by the ASTM Committee
Withrow Distinguished Scholar (professional)
2005-01-01
Awarded by MSU Department of Engineering
Governor's University Award for Commercialization Excellence (professional)
2005-01-01
Awarded by the State of Michigan
Education (2)
Bombay University: Ph.D., Organic Chemistry (Polymer Science & Eng.) 1975
Bombay University: M.S., Organic Chemistry 1969
Links (1)
News (5)
The fungus and bacteria tackling plastic waste
BBC online
2021-08-01
Like other plastic-eating organisms, Pseudomonas breaks down the polyurethane using enzymes; and the team has now carried out a genomic analysis of the bacterium with the aim of identifying the particular genes that code for these enzymes. But some question whether such techniques will ever be commercially viable. "Enzyme or microbial conversion of PET to its constituent building blocks is interesting science and needs to be explored. However, the technology will have to compete with proven, commercial conversion technologies using mundane, less exciting water-catalyst systems," said Professor Ramani Narayan of Michigan State University.
Edible six-pack rings? Not so fast!
Plastics News
2016-06-02
I asked Ramani Narayan, one of the world’s top authorities on degradable plastics, for his take on the story. Narayan is a professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at Michigan State University and a frequently quoted expert on topics involving degradability and packaging. He agreed with my points on news coverage of the edible plastic product. “Unfortunately, in today’s instant news cycle and e-communication, scientific rationale and fact checking is sacrificed and lost to carrying sensational and questionable news stories — the more bizarre and sensational the news is, the more appealing it seems to be to print it — ‘tabloid science news,’” Narayan said...
We Need to Find Real Solutions
Plastics News
2016-01-30
So I asked Ramani Narayan, one of the world’s top authorities on degradable plastics. Narayan is a professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at Michigan State University and a frequently quoted expert on topics involving degradability and packaging. He wanted to know what’s in the edible plastics. The stories say they’re made from the husks and grist of brewers’ barley. Narayan said he needs more information. “Statements like ‘we’ve eaten it and survived’ are naive and dangerous,” he said. “Just because the product is made from fermentation residues does not automatically confer biodegradability.”...
Biodegradable Plastic Is Bullshit
VICE News
2015-11-23
Ramani Narayan, a professor in the department of chemical engineering and materials science at Michigan State University, said he generally agrees with the UN report. He's a coauthor on a February study published in the journal Science that found that between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tons of plastic made its way into the ocean in 2010 from over 190 different coastal countries. The worst kind of plastic to end up in the ocean, he said, are items like milk jugs, made out of polyethylene, or plastic utensils, made out of polypropylene. That kind of lightweight plastic floats, breaks up, attracts microorganisms, and can enter the food chain. He pointed out that unlike a composter, the oceans shouldn't be seen as a "disposal environment," and that even if biodegradable plastic enters the ocean, where it's cold, it will degrade very slowly and will remain in the ocean "for long periods of time."...
Ramani Narayan: Working Toward a Sustainable Future
MSU Today
2014-01-15
Ramani Narayan is a University Distinguished Professor of chemical engineering and materials science who studies polymeric materials from renewable resources; biodegradable polymer systems; engineering and design of natural-synthetic polymer graft and block copolymers; polymer blends; and studies in reactive extrusion processing, bio based and recyclable composites...
Journal Articles (5)
Biodegradable and biobased plastics: An overview
Soil Degradable Bioplastics for a Sustainable Modern Agriculture2017 Plastic mulch film and sheets, rods, and tubing find increasing use in agriculture. Current polyethylene plastic mulch film is not biodegradable and therefore cannot be plowed back into the soil. It may undergo fragmentation, and the small fragments are blown all over and find its way into ocean and other pristine environments. This causes irreparable harm to ecosystems and the habitats. Completely soil-biodegradable plastics or compostable plastics offer an environmentally responsible end-of-life solution for plastic mulch film and plasticulture products. Claims of biodegradability should be qualified by the disposal environment (soil or compost), 90% + biodegradability as measured by the evolved CO2 from the microbial process using international standards for soil biodegradability and/or compostability. However, one has to be careful of misleading claims that are prevalent in the marketplace, particularly additive-based polyolefin plastics. Using biobased carbon in place of petro-fossil carbon in the products offers a reduced carbon footprint, empowers rural agrarian economy, and reduces dependence on fossil resources.
Moisture resistance coating of packaging paper from biobased silylated soybean oil
Progress in Organic Coatings2016 The moisture resistance of Kraft paper was greatly improved when it was coated with silylated soybean oil that was cured via silanol condensation. This moisture barrier coating was prepared from LowSat® Soybean oil that was grafted with vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) using a relatively simple process based on the “Ene reaction”. The viscosity of the resulting oil was unaffected by the silylation reaction and remained low (32 cPs). Thus, the paper coating process required no solvent, additional diluent or the need to emulsify the oil which provided a convenient one-component cure system. Dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL) was found to be an effective condensation catalyst and under optimal conditions complete cure was achieved in a short period of time. The cure rate was a function of the catalyst concentration, available water and the temperature. Initially, Kraft papers were coated with the silylated soybean oil in the lab and this process was followed by a pilot scale-up using a commercial gravure roll coater. Cobb values and water vapor transmission rate indicated the cured coating provided a good barrier coating. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the coated paper confirmed a uniform coating with good adhesion of the coating material to the paper.
Moisture curable toughened poly (lactide) utilizing vinyltrimethoxysilane based crosslinks.
Express Polymer Letters2016 Vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMOS) was grafted on to the backbone of poly(lactide) (PLA) through a free radical grafting reaction using reactive extrusion (REX) processing. The methoxy groups of the silane provide the modified PLA sites for crosslinking through a moisture induced pathway. VTMOS grafting efficiencies of up to 90% were obtained. The newly created methoxy functionality of the modified PLA readily undergoes hydrolysis and condensation forming siloxane crosslinks in the material. Crosslinking with VTMOS exhibited improved modulus, strength, and impact toughness while showing a decrease in ductility. Incorporating silanol-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (OH-PDMS) resulted in the formation of longer siloxane crosslinks. These samples showed an increase in modulus and impact toughness due to the crosslinking, while the longer siloxane linkages resulted in improved ductility and tensile toughness. This is unusual for polymers toughened through crosslinking reactions. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) of the fractured surfaces showed the presence of these elongated siloxane crosslinks. This enhanced ability for the modified PLA to deform and absorb energy results in the increase in both impact and tensile toughness.
Biodegradability of polylactidebottles in real and simulated composting conditions
Polymer Testing2007 As new biodegradable polymers and their packaging applications are emerging, there is a need to address their environmental performance. In particular, there is a need to understand the time required for their complete disintegration, before these materials are deployed in commercial composting processes. Standards developed by ASTM and ISO evaluate the biodegradation of biodegradable plastic materials in simulated controlled composting conditions. However, a more detailed understanding of the biodegradation of complete packages is needed in order to have a successful composting operation. This paper investigates the biodegradation performance of polylactide (PLA) bottles under simulated composting conditions according to ASTM and ISO standards, and these results are compared with a novel method of evaluating package biodegradation in real composting conditions. Two simulated composting methods were used in this study to assess biodegradability of PLA bottles: (a) a cumulative measurement respirometric (CMR) system and (b) a gravimetric measurement respirometric (GMR) system. Both CMR and GMR systems showed similar trends of biodegradation for PLA bottles and at the end of the 58th day the mineralization was 84.2±0.9% and 77.8±10.4%, respectively. PLA bottle biodegradation in real composting conditions was correlated to their breakdown and variation in molecular weight. Molecular weight of 4100 Da was obtained for PLA bottles in real composting conditions on the 30th day. The biodegradation observed for PLA bottles in both conditions explored in this study matches well with theoretical degradation and biodegradation mechanisms; however, biodegradation variability exists in both conditions and is discussed in this paper.
Thermal properties and morphology of biodegradable PLA/Starch compatibilized blends'
Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry2007 Maleic anhydride (MA) and maleated thermoplastic starch (MATPS) are used as reactive compatibilizers to improve interfacial adhesion in preparing PLA/starch blends. The morphological and thermal properties were examined by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). SEM study revealed that MA is a good compatibilizer, while MATPS is not as effective for PLA/starch blend systems. DSC showed that the PLA/starch blends had increased crystallinity with MA as the reactive compatibilizer. The structural changes of constituents and molecular weight change of PLA were characterized by using fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). MA compatibilized blends showed higher biodegradability than simple PLA/starch blends at the same PLA starch ratio.
