The candy " plastic box" can be degraded, the colorful express "foam plastic" can be eaten and imported, and the drug capsule has a low-cost and safe and harmless substitute... Professor Yu Long, who focuses on the research of natural polymer materials, is in the world For the first time, it successfully developed and industrialized all-starch biodegradable materials, and won the reputation of "starchman" (starch man) in the industry. 37 years ago, he graduated from South China University of Technology with an undergraduate degree. Three years ago, he returned to his alma mater from Australia as the leader of the innovation team in Guangdong Province, continued to expand the application of biodegradable materials, and served as the dean of the "Sino-Singapore International Joint Research Institute". Consolidate the R&D platform and actively expand new space for international cooperation.

By analogy: the first successful development of "starch plastic"

Yu Long majored in polymer chemical engineering at South China University of Technology in 1977. After working for a few years after graduation, he went to study in Australia and became the first group of overseas students to receive the country's national scholarship. In less than 3 years, he obtained a Ph.D. from Monash University. After graduating from the Ph.D., he positioned his research direction in the field of natural polymer modification and processing, and made important breakthroughs in replacing plastic with starch. Starch Man".

"The idea of scientific thinking must be broad, and it is necessary to be good at extending it and drawing by analogy" and other concepts, which have been running through Yu Long's career. During his time at the Australian Academy of Sciences, he focused on the development of biodegradable packaging materials.

In the early days, Yu Long did a lot of research on the structure, rheological properties and thermal properties of starch, but he has not found an effective method to modify starch molecules to prevent brittleness. And a researcher with whom he collaborated inadvertently provided a helpful clue. It turns out that ketchup also encounters similar problems in the production process: if the ketchup is not thick enough, it will separate from the water, and the ketchup will settle at the bottom of the seasoning bottle; if the starch in the ketchup is too viscous, it will crystallize and become colloid , so that the ketchup is difficult to pour out of the bottle. In the food industry, this problem has been solved by special chemical means. After hearing about it, Yu Long immediately developed a new method for degrading the stable starch properties in packaging materials with reference to the processing technology and modification methods of tomato paste. In 2006, he successfully developed and industrialized all-starch biodegradable plastic packaging materials for the first time in the world. With the technical support of this innovation, a company producing degradable packaging material was born, which produces the inner packaging of food products such as candy, biscuits and chocolate, and is now listed in London.

Focus on research and development: new materials can "eat", "play" and be used

After returning to work at South China University of Technology from the Australian Academy of Sciences, Yu Long has successively developed new international products such as all-starch biodegradable express buffer (foam-type) packaging materials, drug capsules, and environmentally friendly water-retaining slow-release fertilizer wraps.

In Professor Yu's laboratory, there are more than a dozen transparent bags filled with colorful small cylinders. These materials can be eaten, played, and used. In recent years, China's express delivery industry has developed rapidly. In the process of express delivery, it is inevitable to use a lot of cushioning (foam-type) packaging materials. Cushioning packaging, which is mainly based on petroleum-based plastic foam, has brought a great burden to environmental protection. Yu Long uses its original "all-starch biodegradable plastic" production process and self-developed processing equipment - reactive extrusion processing system to manufacture all-starch, degradable and environmentally friendly buffer packaging materials, while traditional foaming. The equipment is miniaturized and intelligently designed, which greatly reduces transportation and storage costs.

Yu Long explained that 98% of ordinary foam is air, which takes up a lot of space during transportation and costs high. Most of the air in a large truck is air. The research team redesigned the original giant foaming equipment into a small machine with a price of only more than 60,000 yuan, providing raw materials before foaming, so that manufacturers can foam and use it anytime and anywhere according to their needs, and at the same time, they can use the Internet The technology establishes a certain range of delivery radius. He further explained: "Because this material is completely made of starch, it can be used as animal feed. At the same time, it can also be made into children's toys, which are made of small cylinders to form various shapes, which are safe and exciting for children. creativity.”

The environmentally friendly water-retaining slow-release fertilizer wrap is another product that Yulong's R&D team is tackling. The team is about to develop a new "starch colloid" shell, which on the one hand has water retention and can absorb hundreds of times its own weight in water, ensuring maximum benefits during fertilizer application. On the other hand, the "shell" itself is a completely biodegradable material, which prevents the secondary pollution of the soil.

International Cooperation: Dean of China-Singapore International Joint Research Institute

At the end of 2015, "Sino-Singapore International Joint Research Institute" settled in "Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City", which has become an important platform for China and Singapore in the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements and the exchange of talents. South China University of Technology and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore are the main construction bodies of the institute, and Yu Long was appointed as the dean of the institute.

Yu Long introduced that the research institute is positioned as an industrialization platform and advocates cooperation with the industry. The effectiveness of industrialization is an important criterion for evaluating project results. At present, most of the projects established by the Institute have been recognized by the industry and directly supported by partners.

Focusing on Guangzhou's key industries, the first phase of the research institute includes six R&D platforms, including pollution control and environmental restoration, new energy, biomedical materials, food nutrition and safety, artificial intelligence, green buildings and smart cities. 23 industrialization projects, of which 16 are scientific and technological cooperation projects between China and New Zealand.

Yu Long said that an important task of the Sino-Singapore International Joint Research Institute is to establish an applied technology model for the introduction of foreign universities and research institutes. "The research institute is looking for a new model, so that high-tech foreign universities and scientific research units can obtain economic benefits through this platform, and at the same time improve the scientific and technological level of Chinese high-tech enterprises. The first is to create an incubation platform to jointly incubate projects; the second is to Generate economic benefits through the industrialization of results and establish a mutually beneficial model." Yu Long said.