My interests lie within sustainability and how we can be better for our environment, which led me to think about the sustainability of prosthetic limbs currently, and what research is being carried out to improve them. Prosthetic limbs use a great deal of plastic, which is made up of hydrocarbons mined from the ground. These pollute our environment and are a massive contributer to the enhanced greenhouse effect, and therefore global warming. While they do not cause as much of an issue as single use plastics do, due to their long term use, they still impact the planet once they are no longer needed. They will end up in landfil where they will slowly be broken down into microplastics that pollute terrestrial and aquatic environments. These can lead to disruptions in food chains, and sometimes even the increase in death of organisms.

Biologically Derived Plastic

Researchers have been looking into the use of polyhydroxyalkanoate, which is a bioplastic, meaning it does not origniate from petroleum, and is biodegradable. These have similar properties to plastic and are already used in many industries, therefore are a good candidate as an alterantive material. These properties include being durable and versitile, which are important when applied to prosthetics. This material is not only better due to its reduce carbon footprint and lower energy consumption, but it is also a cheaper alternative, which will make prosthetics more accessible to those needing them.

Recycled Plastics

Recycling plastic bottles is another avenue of research that is currently being explored by researchers. These researchers are hoping to produce polyester yarn from bottles that can then be moulded into artificial limbs. This is a great way of moving towards a circular economy, by taking plastic waste and upcycling it into something new, with a much longer term use. However, there are issues with this method, which include the plastic being degraded into microplastics and polluting the environment. Although, if these plastics had not been recycled, they would have degraded anyway.

Agricultural Waste

Researchers in Malaysia and the UK are attempting to use natural fibres generated within agricutlure, as a composite material in prosthetic limbs. By using waste material, this method also promotes a zero waste and circular economy, and in a low cost way. The researchers want to further this zero waste goal by using left over materials and energy and use it in other stages of production. This method won’t fully remove plastic though, and will just reinforce the plastic. Despite this, the method still reduces plastic while removing waste where possible. This is a method that could hopefully be furthered in the future and help to fully remove plastic.

Whilst making prosthetics more sustainable is important for our planet, it should not come at a cost to the wearer. Function and comfort are some of the most important aspects, but hopefully the researchered being carried out can lead to a solution that also benefits the planet. Removing waste from the environment while reducing plastic production are great ways of achieving this goal.