Synthetic materials such as plastics are designed to be durable and water resistant. But the processing required to achieve these properties results in a lack of biodegradability, leading to an accumulation of plastic pollution that affects both the environment and human health. Researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) are developing a possible replacement for plastics: a novel biomaterial based on chitin, the second most abundant natural polymer on Earth. “Every year, nature produces on the order of 1011 tonnes of chitin, roughly equivalent to more than three centuries of today’s global plastic production,” says study leader Javier G Fernández. “Chitin and [its derivative] chitosan are the ultimate natural engineering polymers.…