Edition: 1 stType of publication: e-publication.Available at: http://press.um.si/index.php/ump/catalog/book/294Published in: November 2017
© University of Maribor PressAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.The papers in proceedings are reviewed by international review board.
IntroductionPlastic is all around us. It has been used in packaging, agriculture, textile industry, automotive industry etc. Plastic is one of the biggest environmental issues so scientists have always been looking for better, more natural alternative, and they found it -it is called bioplastics. It is renewable, biodegradable and sustainable, unlike the conventional plastics. It really is a good alternative, as it will be seen in this study, but the main problem is that population have to get used to it -we have to learn how to use it. We can throw it only under special industrial circumstances. Bioplastics are made from renewable resources, as it is evident from its name.In this study will be explained what is bioplastics, when it was first made, their advantages and disadvantages, and will try to discuss the future of bioplastics.
The history of bioplasticsBeginnings of conventional (oil based) plastics go to 1862 when the plastics was first invented but it didn't take off until 1907 when the Bakelite phone was created, and that was the start of plastics revolution.First ever made plastics were actually a bioplastics, and it was made from cellulose nitrate. After a year, in 1908 the cellophane was invented. Then comes 12 years of stagnation, and in 1920 PVC was invented and it becomes very important in medical field. In 1924 Henry Ford uses food to create bioplastics that he will later use for car construction. In all these years, Ford company has been the synonym for bioplastics because they try to use bioplastics whenever that is possible.1938 and 1939 were very important regarding to development of plastics, because in the 1938 Teflon was discovered by Roy Plunkett, and in 1939 nylon was created and it was very important for use in clothing industry. In 1941 Henry Ford unveils first ever bioplastic car. Even though Henry Ford used precursor of bioplastics in automotive industry, the beginnings of bioplastics go to second half of the last century when after two oil crisis British company called Imperial Chemical Industries develops a PHBV bioplastics called Biopol, biodegradable, nontoxic plastic, produced naturally by bacteria.
3 BioplasticsBioplastics are a special kind of plastics which is bio based biodegradable or both. Terms like bio based and biodegradable are frequently misunderstood or misused. The term bio based means that the material or product is (partly) derived from biomass such as corn, sugarcane, or cellulose. Bioplastics made from renewable ...
