A cup of tea (Image: Getty)
A UK university is researching new biodegradable sticking plasters for wet skin inspired by sea mussels ….and made from old tea leaves. Researchers at Aston University have received a £498,000 grant from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for a new class of sustainable, biocompatible and high-performance bio-adhesives for wound care.
The NHS treats nearly 4 million patients-a-year for wound care but traditional plasters don’t stick well to wet or bleeding skin, can cause irritation, and are made from non-biodegradable materials. Now Aston University chemical engineer lecturer Dr Yujie Mao, has taken inspiration from marine mussels’ highly adhesive biopolymer threads – which enable them to stick firmly to wet, uneven rocks in storms – and is mimicking them using tannin and lignin, two biopolymers extracted from spent tea leaves.
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As well as being highly abundant and renewable, these plant-derived materials possess adhesive chemical structures and provide antioxidant and antimicrobial functionalities that support wound healing.
Dr Mao said her team’s sticking plaster research, which they have dubbed ‘TEAGEL’, will test their bio-adhesives for their wet and mechanical properties, as well as recyclability and their biocompatibility for use on wounds.
Dr Mao, who works across the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) and Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME), said: “TEAGEL brings together sustainable materials, green chemistry and bio-inspired engineering to address an important healthcare challenge while transforming waste biomass into high-value products.”
Professor Jude Onwudili, co-director of EBRI, said: “This research showcases the breadth of expertise we have here at Aston University and the power of interdisciplinary collaboration.
“By combining knowledge in bioproducts, membrane science, sustainable chemistry and advanced materials, our researchers are pioneering an exciting new approach to bio-inspired wound care adhesives.
“Using waste tea leaves as a renewable feedstock also reflects our wider commitment to supporting sustainable manufacturing and circular economy innovation.”
The team, which includes co-lead Dr Longinus Ifeanyi Igbojionu, Professor Paul Topham, Dr Alfred Fernandez-Castane, and Dr Stephane Gross will develop the new bio-adhesives using a ‘one pot’ green chemistry process in a novel, sustainable liquid media known as deep eutectic solvents (DES).
Unlike conventional solvents, these are nature-based, non-flammable and have low vapour pressures and toxicity.
The process will use an enzyme called laccase to help form the adhesive materials without the need for synthetic additives or harsh processing, aligning with green chemistry and sustainable manufacturing principles.
Many plasters do not stick on wet skin (Image: Getty)
The team will work to optimise TEAGEL formulations, and will test their wet adhesion, mechanical and rheological properties, as well as recyclability and their biocompatibility for use on wounds.
The UK is among the world’s largest tea consumers, brewing approximately 127m kg of tea leaves annually, presenting a significant underexploited opportunity for renewable material production.
The research team will source the tea leaves for the project from a Midlands-based industrial partner, Saicho, which produces single origin sparkling teas. Currently, their waste tea leaves are used as a low-value fertiliser.
The project grant came from the recent UKRI/Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) schematic call to unlock the full potential of nature-based engineering.
TEAGEL is one of 15 projects across the UK selected through the programme, which supports interdisciplinary research advancing bio-inspired design and eco-inspired solutions that play to the strengths and unique capabilities of nature.
Professor Paul Topham, director of AIME, said: “This project is an exemplar of collaborative, multidisciplinary research, and we will be using it as a platform to explore further opportunities for collaboration between AIME and EBRI.”
