Developing Bioactive Polymers Derived from Brown Algae

Although plastic use plays a crucial role in food packaging applications, these plastics pose significant concern due to the persistence of plastics in the environment and their subsequent accumulation. By developing a polymer from brown algal species, there is potential offset plastics as food covering agents, whilst also utilising bioactive components within brown algae to increase food safety and stability. This thesis explores an integrated design approach to develop brown algal derived polymers, from polysaccharide extraction, to film formation, and subsequent silicate functionalisation procedures to develop polymers aimed at offsetting plastic use for existing food covering applications.