Amid growing concerns over plastic pollution, a U.S. engineer has pioneered a single-step method to produce strong, biodegradable sheets using bacteria.

Maksud Rahman, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Houston, has developed a process to transform bacterial cellulose into a high-performance material that could potentially replace plastic in a wide range of everyday applications.

Figure 1.Plastic-eating bacteria.

The breakthrough lies not just in the material itself, but in how it’s made. By precisely controlling bacterial movement within a rotating incubator, Rahman’s team was able to guide the formation of aligned cellulose nanofibers. Figure 1 shows Plastic-eating bacteria.

The outcome is a flexible, durable sheet suited for various uses—from eco-friendly packaging to medical dressings. “We envision these strong, multifunctional, and environmentally friendly bacterial cellulose sheets becoming widespread, replacing plastics in numerous industries and helping reduce environmental harm,” Rahman said.

Smarter, Stronger Bioplastics

While bacterial cellulose is already known for being biodegradable and plentiful, the researchers took it further by enhancing the material’s properties. They introduced boron nitride nanosheets into the nutrient solution, enabling the creation of hybrid sheets with significantly improved characteristics.

These composite materials demonstrated impressive tensile strength—up to 553 MPa—and advanced thermal conductivity, dissipating heat three times faster than untreated versions.

“We’ve developed a simple, scalable, one-step biosynthesis process that uses fluid-driven shear forces in a rotational culture device to produce robust bacterial cellulose sheets with aligned nanofibers,” Rahman explained.

M.A.S.R. Saadi, a Rice University doctoral student and lead author of the study, noted that the resulting cellulose sheets offer “high tensile strength, flexibility, foldability, optical transparency, and long-term mechanical stability.”

Rice postdoctoral fellow Shyam Bhakta contributed to the biological components of the project.

Directing Bacterial Behavior

At the heart of this innovation is a custom-built rotating culture system—a cylindrical, oxygen-permeable incubator that spins on a central shaft [1]. This continuous rotation generates directional fluid flow, encouraging bacteria to move purposefully rather than randomly.

“By guiding the bacteria’s movement, we can control how they construct cellulose—resulting in a more organized, high-performance material,” Rahman said.

Published in Nature Communications, the study showcases a major advancement in sustainable, scalable material production.

Unlike many conventional bioplastics that require high energy input and complex processing, this method relies on basic biological processes enhanced by mechanical design, offering an eco-friendlier alternative.

A New Era for Sustainable Manufacturing

With the global push toward plastic reduction, Rahman’s approach could have far-reaching industrial applications. The team believes their method can pave the way for sustainable alternatives in fields ranging from packaging and textiles to electronics, energy storage, and thermal management.

“This single-step, scalable bio-fabrication technique for producing strong, multifunctional bacterial cellulose sheets could revolutionize how we think about materials,” Rahman concluded.

Reference:

1. https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/eco-sheets-from-bacteria-plastic-breakthrough

Cite this article:

Keerthana S (2025), U.S. Engineer Develops One-Step Process to Produce Plastic Alternatives Using Bacteria, AnaTechMaz, pp. 342