News Highlights:
Biodegradable plastic: Eight months after the Centre banned single-use plastic and paved the way for the use of biodegradable plastic, a lack of coordination among multiple ministries of government made the policy inefficient.
Key Takeaway:
Several manufacturers, who are now unable to manufacture single-use plastic goods and invested in making biodegradable alternatives, are unable to produce them and stare at an uncertain future.
Bioplastics:
- About:
- Biodegradable plastics can decompose naturally in the environment. The makeup structure of biodegradable plastics makes them easily break down by natural microorganisms, giving an end product that is less harmful to the environment.
- Biodegradable plastics are perceived to be more eco-friendly due to their environmental benefits, which are hard to deny compared to ordinary plastics.
- Biodegradable plastics possess the characteristics of biodegradability and composability.
- They can be converted into natural substances like water, carbon dioxide, and compost by the action of micro-organisms in the environment.
- How Bioplastics are developed:
- Bio-based plastics are developed from biomass (plants) such as corn, sugarcane, vegetable oil or wood pulp.
- Biodegradable plastics can be made from
- a mixture of organic bio-based materials, such as starch and cellulose
- biodegradable synthetic polyesters that are fossil-based
- bio-based oils, such as sugarcane, which are not always biodegradable.
- Types of biodegradable plastics:
- Bioplastics:
- produced partly or entirely with biologically sourced polymers.
- They can be derived from plants or in combination with synthetic polymers.
- Not all are biodegradable.
- Oxo-degradable plastics:
- conventional plastics with additives to break down faster.
- Photo-biodegradable:
- reacts to ultraviolet light, requiring initial oxo-degradation.
- Hydro-biodegradable plastics:
- made from plant sources (like starch), and the degradation is initiated by hydrolysis.
- Bioplastics:
Advantages of Bioplastics:
- Easy to Recycle:
- These plastics take less time to decompose when discarded and can also be easily recycled through an organic process.
- They are also non-toxic since they have no chemicals or toxins.
- Recycling helps to lessen landfill problems, and besides, the recycled bio-waste can be used as compost or as renewable energy for biogas.
- Consume Less Energy:
- The production of biodegradable plastics requires more investment, but finally, it is worth it.
- If the clean-up costs are considered, biodegradable plastic products will be a wiser choice besides the harmful effects on the environment.
- Less energy is needed in the manufacturing of biodegradable plastics compared to ordinary plastics.
- The manufacture of corn-based polymer requires 65% less energy compared to a similar polymer made from petroleum.
- Less Waste Product:
- Biodegradable plastic breaks down only in a few months, depending on the material used to make the bioplastic and the method of disposal.
- Other types of traditional plastic constitute 13 percent of the waste stream, that is, 32 million tons of trash annually, and only 9 percent of this type of plastic can be recycled.
- Compostability:
- Composting bioplastic products can make the soil fertile, thereby enhancing soil fertility.
- The reason for this is that plastic is not made using artificial chemicals but from natural materials.
- Reduce Greenhouse gases:
- The use of biodegradable plastic products instead of traditional plastics lessens the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Since fossil fuels are not required in the manufacturing process of such nature-friendly, biodegradable plastic products, carbon dioxide emissions are also curtailed.
Impact of Bioplastics:
- Cropland Expansion:
- An increase in the use of bioplastics may trigger cropland expansion globally, further increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Deforestation:
- The production of bioplastics in large amounts might change land use globally.
- This could lead to an increase in the conversion of forest areas to arable land for agriculture.
- As forests absorb more carbon dioxide than maise or sugar cane fields annually.
- Food Scarcity:
- Using a substance like corn for plastic instead of food may cause food constraints in an increasingly food-scarce world.
- Industrial composting:Â
- Industrial composting is necessary to heat the bioplastic to a high enough temperature that allows microbes to break it down.
- Without that intense heat, bioplastics will not degrade on their own either in landfills or in the compost heap.
- If they end up in marine environments, they’ll function similarly to petroleum-based plastic.
- Thus, establishing large-scale plants for Industrial composting of bioplastics may not be economically and environmentally feasible.
Pic Courtesy: Freepik
Content Source: The Hindu