Bioplastics, an exponentially fast-growing industry, serving as a more environmentally friendly option, is a category of plastics that are produced from natural or renewable biomass sources, such as sugar, corn, or yeast. These renewable sources allow for the natural recycling of plastics, which in turn, greatly decreases the usage of fossil fuels which minimize the carbon footprint relative to one's left by traditional sources of plastic.
Positive Effects of Bioplastics:
It has been a well-established fact that plastic waste has become an immense threat to our planet. Recent statistics show that over 9 billion tons of plastic waste has been produced since the mid-nineteenth century with not even a tenth of that being properly recycled. Not only is the amount of plastic produced at a concerningly high number, but the time it takes for traditional plastic to decompose is often in the centuries. Through the years that it takes for typical plastic to decompose, it releases toxic chemicals into its surrounding environments, while breaking down into harmful microplastics and draining our limited supply of fossil fuel. Due to these alarming statistics, the usage of bioplastics serves as a considerable solution as a material that functions no differently from that of typical plastic, but more importantly as one that is recyclable or decomposable at a much faster rate. Albeit, it does not necessarily remove the amount of harm that plastic waste can cause, and just serves as an alternative with extra and specific instructions in order to serve its purpose.
Types of Bioplastics:
Given the term “bioplastics”, many assume that all products under this category are specifically biodegradable, which is incorrect
Technically speaking, all types of plastics are “degradable”, for eventually, all plastics will break down into small fragments. An issue that typical “degradable” plastics face is that they are irreversible, meaning that all plastic, even when they have gone through the centuries process of being broken down, is all technical pollution. These micro fragments are released into the environment, unable to return to their original organic state.
“Biodegradable” plastics typically refer to the plastics that are able to be broken down into their micro-fragmented state in just a couple of months. Most often, the degradation processes for biodegradable plastics involve microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, algae) that consume the plastic and produce organic products such as water, carbon dioxide, etc.
The final type of bioplastics are ones that are compostable. Similar to biodegradable bioplastics, compostable plastics are also decomposed in the span of moths and by small microorganisms. Compostable bioplastics typically leave behind natural and non-toxic material in a compostable environment.
References
“Biodegradable.” Biodegradable Plastic: Types, Properties & Material Table, omnexus.specialchem.com/polymer-properties/properties/biodegradable. Accessed 19 Oct. 2023.
Green Business Bureau. “5 Types of Bioplastics: Starch, Cellulose, Protein, Organic, Aliphatic Polyesters.” Green Business Bureau, 8 Dec. 2022, greenbusinessbureau.com/green-practices/products/5-types-of-bioplastics-starch-cellulose-protein-organic-aliphatic-polyesters/.
“Bioplastics - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.” Www.sciencedirect.com, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/bioplastics#:~:text=Bioplastics%20are%20made%20wholly%20or.
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