Michigan State University has announced it has received a National Science Foundation grant to fund research to develop cost-efficient, high-performing, biodegradable and microplastic-free.

The grant was awarded to Muhammad Rabnawaz, an MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Faculty Laureate and professor in the top-ranked School of Packaging, is using the $540,000 grant to explore these materials through experiments and artificial intelligence-driven machine learning techniques.

In a statement on the packaging school’s website, Rabnawaz remarks, “Multilayer plastics serve an important role in protecting moisture-sensitive food, medicine and other products, but they also contribute to the accumulation of plastic pollution and microplastics in food, water and soil. It’s a priority area for NSF, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and many others that recognize the negative effects of microplastics. This work has a multitude of implications across a range of fields, from agriculture to protecting the environment and human health.”