One of the major pollutants found to be contributing to the global environmental decline is plastic. Initially hailed as a brilliant development, resilience is now a persistent danger to ecological equilibrium. Plastic clogs landfills, pollutes the ocean, starves marine life, and contaminates the air and soil because it is not biodegradable. Organisations and researchers are looking at potential alternatives. One such solution is bioplastic.
Bioplastic is a biodegradable plastic that is made from fibrous plants like corn and sugarcane by extracting sugars and converting them into polylactic acids, as the name implies (PLAs). Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which are produced by microorganisms, can also be used to make it. The list of potential feedstocks can now include other fibrous wastes like avocado pits, used cooking oil, and even seaweed that can be transformed into bioplastic.
The ability of bioplastic to benefit the environment is by far the biggest benefit of using it. A decrease in traditional plastic could gradually lead to less trash in landfills and oceans. The price of raw materials decreases since bioplastic doesn't require crude oil. Another factor that encourages the usage of bioplastic is a noticeable shift in consumer attention toward brands and businesses that use environmentally friendly, sustainable production methods.
One of the main issues against bioplastic is that it faces the same difficulties during the earliest stages of recycling as normal plastic. This process is labour- and complexity-intensive due to the package design. Features like plastic bottle sleeves, black plastic, or numerous layers of waste materials that could have been recycled more effectively. In addition to the complexity of recycling, biopolymers and synthetic plastics are difficult to separate and sort during the recycling and biodegradation processes. The environment will continue to be polluted by the remaining synthetic fibre while only the purest portion of bioplastic would truly disintegrate.
Biopolymers/biomaterials polysaccharides, lignin, animal or plant proteins, etc. are examples of alternatives to PLA-based biopolymers that can be utilised to make bioplastics.
Although it cannot be entirely discounted as a viable option, bioplastic needs additional study and the use of sustainable resources to make it more viable. If its shortcomings can be fixed, bioplastic may end up being the key remedy for the planet's severe environmental degradation. It won't accomplish its goal and risk being labelled a "greenwashing" product unless it is made more environmentally friendly and practical to dispose of.
Want to know more? Do not miss the opportunity to join us on the 1st - 2nd March, 2023 — as international experts come together to discuss if Biopolymers can make the Plastic industry more sustainable; in Steigenberger Airport Hotel, Berlin, Germany at the World Biopolymers and Bioplastics Innovation Forum!
To register or learn more about the Forum please check here: https://bit.ly/3TQ1k8m
For more information and group participation, contact us: [email protected]
