The project report includes Present Market Position and Expected Future Demand, Market Size, Statistics, Trends, SWOT Analysis and Forecasts. Report provides a comprehensive analysis from industry covering detailed reporting and evaluates the position of the industry by providing insights to the SWOT analysis of the industry.
The bioplastics are biodegradable plastics and/or bio-based origin of plastics, which are derived from plant and/or microorganisms, instead of fossil fuels. Similar to conventional plastics, the bioplastics also can be used in several ways under ordinary conditions. The only difference is that the bioplastics are biodegradable or biobased polymers. Both the biodegradable and biobased plastics incorporate the phrase “bio”, but they are different from each other. The biodegradable plastics are made of either natural or fossil sources, and are biodegradable or mineralizable into water and carbon dioxide by the action of microorganisms, in a reasonable period of time. The term “Biodegradability” is defined as the characteristics of the material that can be microbiologically degraded to the final products of carbon dioxide and water, and therefore is unlikely to persist in the environment. The biodegradable plastics are defined as materials whose physical and chemical properties undergo deterioration and completely degrade when exposed to microorganisms, into carbon dioxide as in aerobic processes, methane as in anaerobic processes with a specific time limit. The time required to decompose completely depends on the material, environmental conditions such as temperature and moisture, and location of decomposition. Compostable plastics are a group of plastics that can be degraded by microbes into humus, with an absence of toxic metals. The compostable polymers should be in accordance with the defined standards. There are three international standards viz., EN 13432:2000, ISO 17088:2012 and ASTM D6400-12 outlined the criterion of compostable polymers. Under European standard EN 13432:2000, at least 90% of the compostable polymers must be converted into carbon dioxide in industrial composting plants within 6 months period. Furthermore, particles have to be disintegrated into residues with dimensions below 2mm during this period. Not all biodegradable plastics are compostable. The other group of bioplastics, biobased plastics are produced from a wide range of plant-based raw materials, which are not necessarily biodegradable.
In general, the bioplastics are produced from the natural polymers occurring in microorganisms, plants, and animals, etc. Further, monomers like sugar, disaccharides and fatty acids are also used as the basic raw materials in the production of bioplastics, where the renewable resources are modified and processed into biobased plastics.
Therefore, the bioplastics are produced by biological systems viz., microorganisms, plants, and animals or chemically synthesized from biological starting materials like starch, cellulose and lactic acid. The large-scale production and utilization of the bioplastics would preserve the non-renewable fossil fuel resources and the related environmental problems. Moreover, it would offer advantages such as a reduction in carbon footprint and additional waste management options through chemical and organic recycling. The global plastic pollution problems would be solved through biodegradability. In general, the bioplastics are compostable and hence it would be applied to the soil without any harmful effects, where the bioplastics will degrade and decompose easily. Unfortunately, some types of bioplastics may leave toxic residues as plastic fragments behind in soil, for example, some group of bioplastics will be degraded only at high temperatures in a specialized composter. The indiscriminate disposal of the biodegradable plastics in the ocean may cause the death of several marine organisms, because the marine environment would not offer a suitable environment for the degradation. However, the implementations of collection, sorting and recycling practices effectively would offer the benefit of improved resource recovery during the disposal of bioplastics. Moreover, the products of bioplastics exhibit higher mechanical strength and thermal stability which are very similar to conventional virgin plastics. The bioplastics are also available in many grades with a wide variety of properties. In general, products of bioplastics are used as carrying bags, super-absorbent for diapers, and wastewater treatment, various packaging applications, medical and dental implants, catering and hygiene products, and mulching in agriculture. Even though the bioplastics are a viable alternative to conventional plastics, they are not cost-effective and hence the potential of the bioplastics have not been yet realized. However, the growing interest in sustainable development, desire to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and changing policies and attitudes in waste management are improved the utility and availability of bioplastics. Further, the behaviour and awareness among the consumers and research institutions are also escalating the commercialization of new applications for bioplastics in worldwide.
The theory behind bioplastics is simple: if we could make plastics from kinder chemicals to start with, they’d break down more quickly and easily when we got rid of them. The most familiar bioplastics are made from natural materials such as corn starch and sold under such names as EverCorn™ and NatureWorks—with a distinct emphasis on environmental credentials. Some bioplastics look virtually indistinguishable from traditional petrochemical plastics. Polylactide acid (PLA) looks and behaves like polyethylene and polypropylene and is now widely used for food containers. According to NatureWorks, making PLA saves two thirds the energy you need to make traditional plastics. Unlike traditional plastics and biodegradable plastics, bioplastics generally do not produce a net increase in carbon dioxide gas when they break down (because the plants that were used to make them absorbed the same amount of carbon dioxide to begin with). PLA, for example, produces almost 70 percent less greenhouse gases when it degrades in landfills.
Another good thing about bioplastics is that they’re generally compostable: they decay into natural materials that blend harmlessly with soil. Some bioplastics can break down in a matter of weeks. The cornstarch molecules they contain slowly absorb water and swell up, causing them to break apart into small fragments that bacteria can digest more readily. Unfortunately, not all bioplastics compost easily or completely and some leave toxic residues or plastic fragments behind. Some will break down only at high temperatures in industrial-scale, municipal composters or digesters, or in biologically active landfills (also called bioreactor landfills), not on ordinary home compost heaps or in conventional landfills. There are various eco-labeling standards around the world that spell out the difference between home and industrial composting and the amount of time in which a plastic must degrade in order to qualify.
A recipe for PLA bioplastics
1. Take some corn kernels (lots of them).
2. Process and mill them to extract the dextrose (a type of sugar) from their starch.
3. Use fermenting vats to turn the dextrose into lactic acid.
4. In a chemical plant, convert the lactic acid into lactide.
5. Polymerize the lactide to make long-chain molecules of polylactide acid (PLA).
Biodegradable plastics
If you’re in the habit of reading what supermarkets print on their plastic bags, you may have noticed a lot of environmentally friendly statements appearing over the last few years. Some stores now use what are described as photodegradable, oxydegradable (also called oxodegradable or PAC, Pro-oxidant Additive Containing, plastic), or just biodegradable bags (in practice, whatever they’re called, it often means the same thing). As the name suggests, these biodegradable plastics contain additives that cause them to decay more rapidly in the presence of light and oxygen (moisture and heat help too). Unlike bioplastics, biodegradable plastics are made of normal (petrochemical) plastics and don’t always break down into harmless substances: sometimes they leave behind a toxic residue and that makes them generally (but not always) unsuitable for composting.
Biodegradable bags sound great, but they’re not without their problems. In 2014, for example, some members of the European Parliament tried hard to bring about a complete ban on oxydegradable plastics in the EU, with growing doubts over their environmental benefits. Although that proposal was blocked, it lead to more detailed studies of oxydegradable plastics, apparently confirming that they can’t be effectively composted or anaerobically digested and don’t usually break down in landfills. In the oceans, the water is usually too cold to break down biodegradable plastics, so they either float forever on the surface (just like conventional plastics) or, if they do break down, produce tiny plastic fragments that are harmful to marine life.
