Sam Lawless
PhD Researcher | School of Chemical Engineering | The University of Queensland
April – August 2023 | 5 months
Company Spotlight
Plantic Technologies is a Melbourne-based leader in renewable and compostable packaging. Using non-GMO corn starch, Plantic™ materials deliver high-barrier performance for food packaging while remaining biodegradable and recyclable. With global partnerships and decades of R&D, Plantic is driving innovation for a circular plastics economy.
Placement Overview
Sam’s placement involved measuring the flow behaviour of starch-based resins using a capillary rheometer. He developed formulations to assess the impact of ingredients on rheology and conducted PET recycling trials on multilayer trays.
Skills Developed
- Starch processing and viscosity calculations
- Rheology analysis using Cogswell, Bagley, and Rabinowitsch methods
- PET recycling trials
- Industry-style reporting and documentation
Outcomes
- Developed experimental methods for rheology and recycling
- Delivered three PET recycling reports
- Final report combining rheology and recycling insights
Sam says:
“A valuable experience observing the full value chain of food packaging and applying lab-scale theory to industrial processes.”
