Study of Bio-Plastics As Green & Sustainable Alternative To Plastics
Study of Bio-Plastics As Green & Sustainable Alternative To Plastics
Study of Bio-Plastics As Green & Sustainable Alternative To Plastics
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 5, May 2013)
I. INTRODUCTION
Bioplastics are not new, in the 1850s, a British chemist
created plastics from cellulose, a derivative of wood pulp.
Later in the early 20th century, Henry ford experimented
with soy-based plastics as an alternative to fossil fuels for
powering various automobiles. Since then biodegradable
plastics began sparking interest, especially during the oil-
crisis of the nineteen seventies.
1.1 Why Bioplastics
Plastics have become an integral part of our lives. The
problems of conventional plastics are, taking decades to
degrade in nature and are produced by non-renewable
sources like petroleum, coal and natural gas.
Environmental, economic, and safety challenges have
provoked many scientists to partially substitute
petrochemical-based polymers with biodegradable one’s
i.e. Bio-plastics. The amount of bio plastics produced
worldwide is less than 200,000 tons a year which dwarfs
the more than 30 million tons of oil-based plastics. Also,
studies reveal that Bio-plastics are environmentally friendly Figure – 1 Figure – 1 below shows the classification of Biodegradable
as compared to traditional plastics for their production polymers.
results in the emission of less green house gases such as The common types of bio-plastics are based on
carbon dioxide, which is one of the prime sources of air cellulose, starch, poly lactic acid (PLA), poly-3-
pollution and leads to environmental issues such as global hydroxybutyrate (PHB).
warming, climate change, etc.
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International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 5, May 2013)
Cellulose-based plastics are usually produced from wood 2.1 Synthesis of PLA
pulp and used to make film-based products such as Lactic acid is a compound that plays a key role in
wrappers. Thermoplastic starch is the most important and several biochemical processes. For instance, lactate is
widely used bioplastic, accounting for about 50 pc of the constantly produced and eliminated during normal
bio-plastics market. Pure starch’s ability to absorb humidity metabolism and physical exercise. Lactic acid has been
has led to it being widely used for the production of drug produced on an industrial scale since the end of the
capsules in the pharmaceutical industry. Plasticizers, such nineteenth century and is mainly used in the food industry
as sorbitol and glycerin are added to make it more flexible to act as an acidity regulator, in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals
and produce a range of different characteristics. It is and animal feed. In addition to this it is considered the
commonly derived from crops such as potatoes or maize. monomer precursor of PLA. It can be obtained either by
PLA is a transparent plastic whose characteristics carbohydrate fermentation or by common chemical
resemble common petrochemical-based plastics such as synthesis.
polyethylene and polypropylene. It can be processed on Lactic acid is mainly prepared in large quantities (around
equipment that already exists for the production of 200 kT per year) by the bacterial fermentation of
conventional plastics. PLA is produced from the carbohydrates. These fermentation processes can be
fermentation of starch from crops, most commonly corn classified according to the type of bacteria used as:
starch or sugarcane, into lactic acid that is then
(i) The heterofermentative method, which produces less
polymerized. Its blends are used in a wide range of
than 1.8 mol of lactic acid per mole of hexose, with other
applications including computer and mobile phone casings,
metabolites in significant quantities, such as acetic acid,
foil, biodegradable medical implants, moulds, tins, cups,
ethanol, glycerol, mannitol and carbon dioxide and
bottles and other packaging material.
PHB is very similar to polypropylene, which is used in a (ii) The homo-fermentative method, which leads to greater
wide variety of fields including packaging, ropes, bank yields of lactic acid and lower levels of by-products, and is
notes and car parts. It is a transparent film, which is also mainly used in industrial processes. The conversion yield
biodegradable. Interest in PHB is currently very high with from glucose to lactic acid is more than 90 per cent. The
companies worldwide aiming to expand their current majority of the fermentation processes use species of
production capacity. The South American sugar industry Lactobacilli, which give high yields of lactic acid.
has committed to producing PHB on an industrial scale.
At the cutting edge of bioplastic technology lie
polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) materials. These are derived
from the conversion of natural sugars and oils using
microbes. They can be processed into a number of
materials including molded goods, fiber and film and are
biodegradable and have even been used as water resistant
coatings.
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International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 5, May 2013)
2.3 Unique Characteristics But scientists have now shown that the infamous weed is
PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) is one of the most environment a rich source of carbohydrate and can be used to make
friendly Bio-plastic available today. It is made from 100% biodegradable plastic. Water hyacinth derived sugar
bio based resources and has multiple end-of-life options molecules like lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses can be
(i.e., 100% recyclable and biodegradable). PLA is a highly converted into polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a polymer that
efficient plastic. To make a kg of PLA it requires a meager is a raw material for making biodegradable plastic.
1.6 kg of sugar. Other types of bio-plastics can require
significantly more natural resources to produce the same
amount of end-product. Emission of carbon dioxide is less
when compared with other polymers
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International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 5, May 2013)
5.2 Renewable resources for food, feed and bio-plastics
Hunger – the most wide-spread argument against using
food crops for industrial purposes – is in general not caused
by a shortage of land to grow food or animal feed. In
addition to production of bio-plastics, there is ample space
to produce both food and feed for all. There is no lack of
food as much of it is being wasted. The daily per capita
production of food equates to 4,600 calories, of which
1,400 are wasted or never reach the consumer. In lesser-
developed countries, food losses could be avoided through
better post-harvest technologies, better storage, transport
and marketing. In addition to these logistical aspects,
political instability as well as the distribution of financial
resources or their lack is the main reason for hunger. The
Figure – 9 shows a ―Bio plastic‖ Bottle - 100% plant-based (food decision as to which crop is to be cultivated for fuel or
waste)
industrial use in free agricultural areas should be
4.2 Disadvantages of Bio-plastics determined by efficiency, economy, ecology and
As nothing is complete in this world, biodegradable sustainability. The land mass necessary for feedstock
plastics, which are preferred over the conventional ones, production is minimal as figures reveal that for producing
they have few drawbacks, such as: 500,000 tons of PLA requires less than 0.5% of the annual
United States corn crop.
(i) Biodegradable plastic is not meant to be recycled with
other types of plastics.
VI. CARBON CYCLE OF BIO-PLASTICS
(ii) If biodegradable plastic are not properly disposed of, it
leads to an inefficient breakdown of the plastic, which can 6.1 Bio-plastic cycle
release toxins (carbondioxide, methane etc) into the When fossil fuels are extracted from the earth, the
environment. natural cycle is disrupted and the release of carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere is accelerated. This accelerated release
V. VIABILITY OF BIO-PLASTICS of green house gases is far higher than the replenishing
rates of the various natural processes. Bio-plastics can
5.1 Land required for renewable resources
replace nearly 100% of the fossil fuel content found in
The current annual global production capacity of bio- conventional plastics, and require considerably less energy
plastics is estimated to be about one million tones, for production. Carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle
including renewable sourced plastics and petro-based bio- by which carbon is exchanged among the spheres of the
degradable ones. Depending on the polymer type and the earth. When a plant grows, it takes in carbon dioxide, and
used crop, respectively the agricultural feedstock, the when it biodegrades, it releases the carbon dioxide back
average yield ranges between 3.5 and 5.5 tones of bio- into the earth – a perfect closed loop cycle. These natural
plastics per hectare. The agricultural cultivation area resources undergo different processes to form polymers.
needed to fully generate the current global production Polymers are further processed to bio-plastics. These
capacity would amount to 286,000 hectares today, which plastics are used in various ways and are further degraded.
equals approximately 0.02 percent of the total arable land During biodegradation carbon dioxide is released back to
available in the world. Research conducted by the the atmosphere. Therefore carbon dioxide which is taken
University of Applied Science and Arts in Hannover from the environment is cycled back to the atmosphere by
(Germany) indicates that even a complete shift of the passing through different stages and forming a closed
plastics production of approximately 250 million tones p.a. cycle.
to bio based plastics would require a share of only 5
percent of the arable land.
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International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 5, May 2013)
6.2 End-of-Life TABLE – I
Bio-plastics vs oil based Plastics
Many bio-plastics are 100% compostable and typically
biodegrade in 180 or less days when disposed of in a Property Bio-plastic Oil based Plastic
municipal composting facility, whereas traditional plastics
Renewable Yes Partially No
can take decades to break down. Initially, when
conventional plastics begin to break down, they fragment Break down in the Biodegradable Some degradable
into smaller and smaller particles that often end up in our environment and/or compostable by polymer
water stream and in our food chain when animals eat the oxidation
plastic particles. Conversely, compostable plastics are
absorbed back into the earth and become nutrients for the GHG emissions Usually low Relatively high
soil – thus closing the deadly loop.
Fossil fuel usage Usually low Relatively high
6.3 Cycle Time
Bioplastics have the same cycle time as traditional
plastics but because the process requires significantly lower VII. MARKET AND PRICE OF BIO-PLASTICS
processing temperatures, bioplastic products can save up to According to European Bio-plastics Association, the
35% energy. In addition, bio-plastics have two thirds less global production capacity for bioplastics is projected to
harmful greenhouse gas emissions as compared to grow four times by 2020. The prices of any biopolymer are
conventional plastics, during the production process. likely to be high when it is only produced on a small scale.
The scale of production is likely to have a greater influence
on the price than the costs of the raw material source and of
the chemistry involved. According to EBA, Bio-plastics
consumption is likely to reach two million tons by 2018.
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International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 5, May 2013)
As shown, Europe is the biggest market in terms of REFERENCES
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