Biodegradable/Bio-plastics: Myths and Realities

Goel, Vishal; Luthra, Priyanka; Kapur, G. S.; Ramakumar, S.S.V.

doi:10.1007/s10924-021-02099-1

Cited by 97 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…[372][373][374] Several overviews cover standardized tests and certifications of biodegradable plastics. [345,347,355,369,[375][376][377][378][379][380] According to the European standard EN 13432 for composting, 90% of the organic material must be converted to carbon dioxide within six months. Less than 10% of the product's mass must remain on a sieve with a mesh size of 2 mm after 12 weeks of aerobic composting.…”

Section: Biodegradable Plasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[321,408,409] Several reviews have addressed the aspects of design, properties, applications, and biodegradation mechanisms of biodegradable plastics. [321,339,343,[351][352][353][354]357,359,360,362,363,367,369,[409][410][411][412][413][414] Prominent commercial members of the biodegradable plastics family (Figure 10) include bio-based polymers, such as thermoplastic starch (e.g., Mater-Bi from Novamont), PLA (e.g., Ingeo from NatureWorks), PHBH (e.g. Green Planet from Kaneka), PBS (e.g., bioPBS from Mitsubishi Chemical), and fossil-based biodegradable plastics such as polybutylene adipate-terephthalate (PBAT) and their blends with PLA (e.g., Ecoflex and Ecovio from BASF SE), polycaprolactone (PCL), and polyvinylalcohol (PVA) some of which are also feasible as bio-based versions when using bio-based monomers.…”

Section: Biodegradable Plasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With their expected rapid growth, biodegradable plastics could become an environmental burden by provoking the business-as-usual scenario of throwaway plastic products, given that consumers assume that it is safe to dump them into the environment. [353,369,417] An "all-natural" carbon cycle is a fiction. The entry of million tons of biodegradable plastic wastes into the natural carbon cycle is far from being carbon neutral, as processing and transport are driven by non-renewable energy and intensified farming deeply impacts nature.…”

Section: Biodegradable Plasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Closing the Carbon Loop in the Circular Plastics Economy

Schirmeister

Mülhaupt

2022

Macromol. Rapid Commun.

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Today, plastics are ubiquitous in everyday life, problem solvers of modern technologies, and crucial for sustainable development. Yet the surge in global demand for plastics of the growing world population has triggered a tidal wave of plastic debris in the environment. Moving from a linear to a zero‐waste and carbon‐neutral circular plastic economy is vital for the future of the planet. Taming the plastic waste flood requires closing the carbon loop through plastic reuse, mechanical and molecular recycling, carbon capture, and use of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. In the quest for eco‐friendly products, plastics do not need to be reinvented but tuned for reuse and recycling. Their full potential must be exploited regarding energy, resource, and eco‐efficiency, waste prevention, circular economy, climate change mitigation, and lowering environmental pollution. Biodegradation holds promise for composting and bio‐feedstock recovery, but it is neither the Holy Grail of circular plastics economy nor a panacea for plastic littering. As an alternative to mechanical downcycling, molecular recycling enables both closed‐loop recovery of virgin plastics and open‐loop valorization, producing hydrogen, fuels, refinery feeds, lubricants, chemicals, and carbonaceous materials. Closing the carbon loop does not create a Perpetuum Mobile and requires renewable energy to achieve sustainability.

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Section: Biodegradable Plasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Biodegradable Plasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Biodegradable Plasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Closing the Carbon Loop in the Circular Plastics Economy

Schirmeister

Mülhaupt

2022

Macromol. Rapid Commun.

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“…The incomplete fragmentation of oxodegradable plastics also challenges their proenvironmental viability, as studies conflict with the true degradative capabilities of discarded oxoplastics. The usage of pro-oxidative additives does not ensure the complete degradation of plastics and may require special conditions nonreplicable in the environment [ 109 ]. However, transition metal salts have been regarded as safe due to their design as fatty acid salts of potential nutrient microelements [ 110 ].…”

Section: Environmental Impact and Health Effects Of Synthetic Plastic...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Circular Economy of Plastics: An Evaluation of the Systematic Transition to a New Generation of Bioplastics

et al. 2022

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Plastics have become an essential part of the modern world thanks to their appealing physical and chemical properties as well as their low production cost. The most common type of polymers used for plastic account for 90% of the total production and are made from petroleum-based nonrenewable resources. Concerns over the sustainability of the current production model and the environmental implications of traditional plastics have fueled the demand for greener formulations and alternatives. In the last decade, new plastics manufactured from renewable sources and biological processes have emerged from research and have been established as a commercially viable solution with less adverse effects. Nevertheless, economic and legislative challenges for biobased plastics hinder their widespread implementation. This review summarizes the history of plastics over the last century, including the most relevant bioplastics and production methods, the environmental impact and mitigation of the adverse effects of conventional and emerging plastics, and the regulatory landscape that renewable and recyclable bioplastics face to reach a sustainable future.

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“…Currently, there is a critical demand for petroleumderived recalcitrant plastics to be replaced with biomassderived biodegradable plastics to address severe environmental problems such as global warming 1,2 and land-and marine pollution. 3,4 Polysaccharides, produced by plants and microorganisms, are valuable biomass resources with biodegradability and a variety of structures and properties depending on their constituent monosaccharides and linkage styles. This diversity of polysaccharides and their tunable properties via chemical modification, such as acylation, can contribute to expanding the range of the performance and function of biomass-based materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%