Bioplastics are often touted as being eco-friendly, but do they live up to the hype?
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The world has produced over nine billion tons of plastic since the s. 165 million tons of it have trashed our ocean, with almost 9 million more tons entering the oceans each year. Since only about 9 percent of plastic gets recycled, much of the rest pollutes the environment or sits in landfills, where it can take up to 500 years to decompose while leaching toxic chemicals into the ground.
Traditional plastic is made from petroleum-based raw materials. Some say bioplastics'made from 20 percent or more of renewable materials'could be the solution to plastic pollution. The often-cited advantages of bioplastic are reduced use of fossil fuel resources, a smaller carbon footprint, and faster decomposition. Bioplastic is also less toxic and does not contain bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone disrupter that is often found in traditional plastics.
Kartik Chandran, a professor in the Earth and Environmental Engineering Department at Columbia University who is working on bioplastics, believes that compared to traditional plastics, 'bioplastics are a significant improvement.'
However, it turns out that bioplastics are not yet the silver bullet to our plastic problem.
Since there is often confusion when talking about bioplastics, let's clarify some terms first.
Degradable ' All plastic is degradable, even traditional plastic, but just because it can be broken down into tiny fragments or powder does not mean the materials will ever return to nature. Some additives to traditional plastics make them degrade more quickly. Photodegradable plastic breaks down more readily in sunlight; oxo-degradable plastic disintegrates more quickly when exposed to heat and light.
Biodegradable ' Biodegradable plastic can be broken down completely into water, carbon dioxide and compost by microorganisms under the right conditions. 'Biodegradable' implies that the decomposition happens in weeks to months. Bioplastics that don't biodegrade that quickly are called 'durable,' and some bioplastics made from biomass that cannot easily be broken down by microorganisms are considered non-biodegradable.
Plastic and Styrofoam not breaking down in a municipal compost pile. Photo: CkgurneyCompostable ' Compostable plastic will biodegrade in a compost site. Microorganisms break it down into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at the same rate as other organic materials in the compost pile, leaving no toxic residue.
Bioplastics are currently used in disposable items like packaging, containers, straws, bags and bottles, and in non-disposable carpet, plastic piping, casings, 3D printing, car insulation and medical implants. The global bioplastic market is projected to grow from $17 billion this year to almost $44 billion in .
There are two main types of bioplastics.
Starch from wheat is converted to plastic. Photo: CSIROPLA (polylactic acid) is typically made from the sugars in corn starch, cassava or sugarcane. It is biodegradable, carbon-neutral and edible. To transform corn into plastic, corn kernels are immersed in sulfur dioxide and hot water, where its components break down into starch, protein, and fiber. The kernels are then ground and the corn oil is separated from the starch. The starch is comprised of long chains of carbon molecules, similar to the carbon chains in plastic from fossil fuels. Some citric acids are mixed in to form a long-chain polymer (a large molecule consisting of repeating smaller units) that is the building block for plastic. PLA can look and behave like polyethylene (used in plastic films, packing and bottles), polystyrene (Styrofoam and plastic cutlery) or polypropylene (packaging, auto parts, textiles). Minnesota-based NatureWorks is one of the largest companies producing PLA under the brand name Ingeo.
PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) is made by microorganisms, sometimes genetically engineered, that produce plastic from organic materials. The microbes are deprived of nutrients like nitrogen, oxygen and phosphorus, but given high levels of carbon. They produce PHA as carbon reserves, which they store in granules until they have more of the other nutrients they need to grow and reproduce. Companies can then harvest the microbe-made PHA, which has a chemical structure similar to that of traditional plastics. Because it is biodegradable and will not harm living tissue, PHA is often used for medical applications such as sutures, slings, bone plates and skin substitutes; it is also used for single-use food packaging.
While bioplastics are generally considered to be more eco-friendly than traditional plastics, a study from the University of Pittsburgh found that wasn't necessarily true when the materials' life cycles were taken into consideration.
The study compared seven traditional plastics, four bioplastics and one made from both fossil fuel and renewable sources. The researchers determined that bioplastics production resulted in greater amounts of pollutants, due to the fertilizers and pesticides used in growing the crops and the chemical processing needed to turn organic material into plastic. The bioplastics also contributed more to ozone depletion than the traditional plastics, and required extensive land use. B-PET, the hybrid plastic, was found to have the highest potential for toxic effects on ecosystems and the most carcinogens, and scored the worst in the life cycle analysis because it combined the negative impacts of both agriculture and chemical processing.
3D printed PLA teapot. Photo: CreativeToolsBioplastics do produce significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional plastics over their lifetime. There is no net increase in carbon dioxide when they break down because the plants that bioplastics are made from absorbed that same amount of carbon dioxide as they grew. A study determined that switching from traditional plastic to corn-based PLA would cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent. The study also concluded that if traditional plastics were produced using renewable energy sources, greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced 50 to 75 percent; however, bioplastics that might in the future be produced with renewable energy showed the most promise for substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
While the biodegradability of bioplastics is an advantage, most need high temperature industrial composting facilities to break down and very few cities have the infrastructure needed to deal with them. As a result, bioplastics often end up in landfills where, deprived of oxygen, they may release methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Recycled PET. Photo: MichalManasWhen bioplastics are not discarded properly, they can contaminate batches of recycled plastic and harm recycling infrastructure. If bioplastic contaminates recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate, the most common plastic, used for water and soda bottles), for example, the entire lot could be rejected and end up in a landfill. So separate recycling streams are necessary to be able to properly discard bioplastics.
The land required for bioplastics competes with food production because the crops that produce bioplastics can also be used to feed people. The Plastic Pollution Coalition projects that to meet the growing global demand for bioplastics, more than 3.4 million acres of land'an area larger than Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark combined'will be needed to grow the crops by . In addition, the petroleum used to run the farm machinery produces greenhouse gas emissions.
Bioplastics are also relatively expensive; PLA can be 20 to 50 percent more costly than comparable materials because of the complex process used to convert corn or sugarcane into the building blocks for PLA. However, prices are coming down as researchers and companies develop more efficient and eco-friendly strategies for producing bioplastics.
Kartik Chandran and Columbia students are developing systems to produce biodegradable bioplastic from wastewater and solid waste. Chandran uses a mixed microbe community that feeds on carbon in the form of volatile fatty acids, such as acetic acid found in vinegar.
His system works by feeding wastewater into a bioreactor. Inside, microorganisms (distinct from the plastic-producing bacteria) convert the waste's organic carbon into volatile fatty acids. The outflow is then sent to a second bioreactor where the plastic-producing microbes feed on the volatile fatty acids. These microbes are continually subjected to feast phases followed by famine phases, during which they store the carbon molecules as PHA.
Chandran is experimenting with more concentrated waste streams, such as food waste and solid human waste, to produce the volatile fatty acids more efficiently. The focus of his research is to both maximize PHA production and to integrate waste into the process. 'We want to squeeze as much as we can [out of both systems],' said Chandran.
He believes his integrated system would be more cost-effective than the methods currently used to produce bioplastic that involve buying sugars to make PHA. 'If you integrate wastewater treatment or address food waste challenges with bioplastic production, then this is quite favorable [economically],' said Chandran. 'Because if we were to scale up and go into commercial mode, we would get paid to take the food waste away and then we would get paid to make bioplastics as well.' Chandran hopes to close the loop so that, one day, waste products will routinely serve as a resource that can be converted into useful products like bioplastic.
Full Cycle Bioplastics in California is also producing PHA from organic waste such as food waste, crop residue such as stalks and inedible leaves, garden waste, and unrecycled paper or cardboard. Used to make bags, containers, cutlery, water and shampoo bottles, this bioplastic is compostable, marine degradable (meaning that if it ends up in the ocean, it can serve as fish or bacteria food) and has no toxic effects. Full Cycle can process the PHA at the end of its life, and use it to make virgin plastic again.
Pennsylvania-based Renmatix is utilizing woody biomass, energy grasses and crop residue instead of costlier food crops. Its technology separates sugars from the biomass using water and heat instead of acids, solvents or enzymes in a comparatively clean, quick and inexpensive process. Both the sugars and the lignin from the biomass are then used as building blocks for bioplastics and other bioproducts.
At Michigan State University, scientists are trying to cut production costs for bioplastic through the use of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, that use sunlight to produce chemical compounds through photosynthesis. Instead of feeding their plastic-producing bacteria sugars from corn or sugarcane, these scientists tweaked cyanos to constantly excrete the sugar that they naturally produce. The plastic-producing bacteria then consume the sugar produced by the cyanos, which are reusable.
Cyanobacteria can be used to feed the microbes that create bioplastic. Photo: DBCLSStanford University researchers and California-based startup Mango Materials are transforming methane gas from wastewater treatment plants or landfills into bioplastic. The methane is fed to plastic-producing bacteria that transform it into PHA, which the company sells to plastic producers. It is used for plastic caps, shampoo bottles or biopolyester fibers that can be combined with natural materials for clothing. The bioplastic will biodegrade back into methane, and if it reaches the ocean, can be digested naturally by marine microorganisms.
The Centre for Sustainable Technologies at the University of Bath in England is making polycarbonate from sugars and carbon dioxide for use in bottles, lenses and coatings for phones and DVDs. Traditional polycarbonate plastic is made using BPA (banned from use in baby bottles) and the toxic chemical phosgene. The Bath researchers have found a cheaper and safer way to do it by adding carbon dioxide to the sugars at room temperature. Soil bacteria can break the bioplastic down into carbon dioxide and sugar.
Ecovative packaging made of mycelium aims to replace plastic altogether. Photo: mycobondAnd then there are those developing innovative ways to replace plastic altogether. Japanese design company AMAM is producing packaging materials made from the agar in red marine algae. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is developing a biodegradable and edible film from the milk protein casein to wrap food in; it is 500 times better at keeping food fresh than traditional plastic film. And New York-based Ecovative is using mycelium, the vegetative branching part of a fungus, to make Mushroom Materials, for biodegradable packaging material, tiles, planters and more.
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Right now, it's hard to claim that bioplastics are more environmentally friendly than traditional plastics when all aspects of their life cycle are considered: land use, pesticides and herbicides, energy consumption, water use, greenhouse gas and methane emissions, biodegradability, recyclability and more. But as researchers around the world work to develop greener varieties and more efficient production processes, bioplastics do hold promise to help lessen plastic pollution and reduce our carbon footprint.
'Biodegradable' roughly translates to 'somewhat better for the environment' in the packaging world. With a whole host of biodegradable packaging options available for food and drinks products, bioplastics offer an eco-friendly alternative to standard plastic packaging for food and drinks.
So what are bioplastics, and are bioplastics better for the environment than other similar packaging materials?
Bioplastics are made from materials derived from biological substances rather than petroleum. They're created using the sugar present in plants, typically sugarcane, sugar beets, wheat, or potatoes. Bioplastics are inherently renewable, unlike conventional plastics since they're made from entirely natural, organic, plant-based materials.
The process of creating bioplastics is a world apart from conventional plastics, but they still share similar properties and characteristics to oil-based plastics, only without the environmental drawbacks. This makes bioplastics an excellent option for eco-conscious businesses and a no-brainer for green-minded consumers.
While the terms are used seemingly interchangeably, bioplastics and biodegradable plastics are not the same.
Bioplastics are made from plant-based materials like polylactic acid (PLA) that break down naturally under specific conditions. Biodegradable plastics are made with petroleum-based materials that aren't inherently biodegradable.
Additives like starch are incorporated to enhance biodegradation, making oil-based plastics slightly better for the planet. You can expect very similar performance from both kinds of plastics, but which has more environmental benefits?
Bioplastics are easily the more environmentally-friendly option since biodegradable plastics are petroleum-based ' just like conventional plastics. Bioplastics don't contain any harmful substances from hazardous chemicals like phthalates, nor do they break down into microplastics that are incredibly bad for the earth, particularly marine life.
Biodegradable plastics can't be recycled the same way as bioplastics, either.
Performance should always be a priority when selecting packaging. So how do bioplastics stack up against other packaging materials?
Bioplastics are crafted from plant-based substances. The plant-based oils found in most bioplastics enhance their performance, making them less brittle and more flexible. Other plastics are prone to cracking or splitting, but bioplastic cups are up to the task of carrying liquids.
For example, a typical pint cup is expected to be transparent, slightly flexible and durable. If it's made using Ingeo' PLA Bioplastic ' our bioplastic of choice ' you can expect similar or better performance from your super-sustainable packaging.
That's not all. When used in hot drinks packaging, bioplastic linings provide a moisture-resistant barrier that reduces the likelihood of leaks and spills without the need for non-biodegradable plastic. This dramatically improves waste management and recyclability as a result.
Bioplastics share similar properties to conventional plastics, but several compelling reasons make them the most favourable packaging option for forward-thinking businesses:
Bioplastics produce significantly fewer greenhouse gases than conventional plastics over their lifespan. From manufacturing to disposal, fewer emissions are generated than other forms of plastic; less energy is required to produce bioplastics, and less carbon is produced when bioplastic waste is processed, especially when compared to generic mixed plastic waste. As a carbon-neutral packaging supplier,
Bioplastics will biodegrade naturally over time under the right conditions, unlike other plastics. Bioplastics will naturally decompose in three to six months, but the average plastic takeaway container may take around 450 years to disintegrate. Even when it does, conventional plastics release toxins back into the environment, further damaging the planet.
Bioplastics can be recycled before they start to degrade. This helps consumers dispose of their waste responsibly and extends the lifespan of the bioplastic packaging materials further, allowing them to be repurposed before they perish.
We typically imagine plastics to be infinitely durable and long-lasting, but you can only recycle plastics two or three times. This is problematic, as most non-biodegradable plastics start to perish after being recycled just once, meaning the vast amount of energy and resources required to manufacture the materials in the first place is somewhat wasted.
When plastics become unsuitable for repurposing, you must discard them. Most non-biodegradable plastics spend the rest of their life clogging up landfills or polluting the oceans. Bioplastic packaging will degrade much more safely and quickly than its synthetic counterparts, making it a much more planet-friendly option.
Bioplastics are compostable at commercial facilities, meaning less recycling or general waste to manage. All that's left behind after using a bioplastic cup or a PLA-lined takeaway container are its natural components since bioplastic packaging is derived from natural substances. This also means that these items have no chemicals or toxins left behind, reducing waste pollution and atmospheric pollution.
Biodegradable products are made using naturally occurring substances. As a result, they don't contain harmful chemicals or pose any risks to intended users. Non-recyclable plastics ' such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the plastic used to create water bottles ' bioplastics don't attract harmful bacteria or leach chemicals back into the environment, making them practical, eco-friendly options as food and drink packaging.
There's only so much crude oil left on earth. Based on current consumption levels, we can expect around 47 more years of oil before it's all gone. After that, the world will have no other option but to switch to sustainable alternatives.
Hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGLs) account for 18% of the total oil consumption in the world. HGLs are used for the production of plastics, among other things. By switching to bioplastics, we could curb oil consumption and preserve the planet's finite, non-renewable resources.
Around three-quarters of consumers would pay more for sustainable products, making bioplastics an excellent option for eco-conscious businesses. In addition, two-thirds of consumers say they would be less likely to purchase products if they knew the packaging was harmful to the environment, which makes conventional plastic packaging a lot less appealing.
The shift towards sustainable packaging has been primarily consumer-driven, but multinational corporations in the food and drink sector have taken notice. The market for bioplastics is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years as renowned brands start to switch from conventional plastics to forward-thinking alternatives.
Bioplastics are an innovative solution to the world's problems with conventional plastics. They're almost indistinguishable from petroleum-based plastics, but they come with an array of environmental benefits. Bioplastic packaging preserves the planet's natural resources and gives people more options to dispose of packaging responsibly, making them a much more eco-friendly packaging solution.
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