Plus, the advantages of biodegradable plastics totally outweigh the disadvantages making it a better choice as compared to plastic polymers that have been used traditionally. Advantages and Disadvantages of Biodegradable Plastics. Advantages and Disadvantages of Biodegradable Plastics What is biodegradable plastic?
Advantages of Biodegradable Plastics 1. Reduction in Carbon Emission One of the main advantages of using biodegradable polymers to make plastic bags is the significant reduction in the carbon emissions that happen during the manufacturing process as compared to that of regular plastic. Lesser Energy Consumption While the initial investment might be slightly higher, in the long run biodegradable plastics require lesser amounts of energy and require fossil fuels to be reprocessed in order to create polymers.
Eco-Friendly Disposable Solution Biodegradable plastics require composting or recycling to ensure proper breakdown of the plastic pieces to enable the natural composting process. However, demand is expected to grow strongly in the next few years. A thin film of PHA will degrade in a tropical environment on the seafloor in one to two months, Lott says. But in the Mediterranean, it can take 10 times as long. In some regions of the ocean biodegradation is so slow that even organic material like fish or algae can leave their traces in the fossil record.
Think of the abrasion from car or bike tires, from ship paints, sneakers, or synthetic garments. If bits of plastics are small enough to travel through the air, they will be hard to ever contain. Wurm says it would theoretically be possible to build molecular triggers into materials so that they know when to biodegrade. But even if the funding were there, finding and including molecular triggers for each and every material in each and every environment seems to be a nearly impossible task.
Single use utensils made of bioplastics are often touted as the environmentally friendly alternative. But not every bioplastic is biodegradable, and most biodegradable plastic only biodegrades under very special conditions. Moreover, when considering the impacts of plastic products on humans and the environment, looking at just the plastic itself is never enough.
A single plastic product can contain dozens of chemicals, some of which might have adverse effects on us humans or other organisms if they are released into the environment and taken up. Lisa Zimmerman, a Ph. In a number of additional experiments she found that these chemical mixtures can have the potential to cause oxidative stress or influence the hormonal system in living organisms. Bio-based plastics have other environmental implications as well. One big criticism has been the land needed to grow the plants.
On the basis of a report from the Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites IfBB in Hanover, European Bioplastics estimates that bio-based plastics currently use less than 0. But Christoph Lauwigi, who represents the working group on waste and resources with Friends of the Earth Germany BUND worries about the side effects of a growth in the bioplastic market. In the German Plastic Atlas , he explains that an increase in bio-based plastics could raise the pressure on arable land, potentially leading to water shortages, desertification and the loss of habitats and biodiversity.
He also notes that the reliance on industrial agriculture for the production of new plastics might increase monoculture cropping and the use of pesticides. One criticism of bio-based plastics is that they increase pressure on arable land.
But scientists are searching for feedstocks that might be more environmentally friendly than conventional crops, such as waste materials or algae. At this point however, these sources cannot be processed as effectively yet as the current feedstocks, she adds. They do not break down as quickly and completely in the environment as the term might imply and can thus harm wildlife and ecosystems. But there are a few applications where using biodegradable plastics may provide a net benefit to the environment.
In some countries, bags that are compostable under industrial conditions are used to collect organic waste. They can offer a cleaner and more convenient way than nondisposable containers for people to collect food scraps for composting.
Fewer organics in the trash means less fermentation, allowing waste management operators to come by less often to pick up the trash. What is the problem there? Are you concerned the introduced DNA is attacking the compost? The main concern over the use of GM crops is that other crops and wild plants may become contaminated with the foreign genes added to the GM crop — e. Aah, the GMO debate. Thanks for this — I just wanted to touch on some of the perceived problems with GMOs in this article.
I think the subject is in need of a whole article and discussion for another day. So that basic and beautiful circle of life is taken away.
The good news is if it is let out in environment this will disintegrate in to wax which is digestible by soil bacteria. If interested please keep in touch with us for more information. My question is a bit different. Since air and damp is what begins the composting process, I feel that the bags are composting already as I shop, and certainly in the fridge right along with my fresh organic veggies!
Is this healthy?? Wow, we are so far behind over here in the UK! You can also buy reusable fruit and veg bags if the markets let you use them — like these ones. This is really insightful! Ah, what to choose as an alternative though?! Do you know of any garbage bags that are made from alternative, less damaging products?
Are starches better or recycled materials? At least it will help a small bit at the production end. Shops could definitely help in this fight by dramatically reducing packaging on products.
Thanks Wendy! Yep- I try to keep the general waste to a minimum, but I do wish supermarkets would avoid wrapping everything in single use plastic! The more demand there is for certain types of plastic, the more it is likely to be supported through special rubbish collections etc.
I think the hurry to develop greener options cause this: new options that are not really options, just different versions of the same problem! They keep launching new types instead of finding the best and developing the required processes and infrastruture to handle it. Thank you. This article was incredibly helpful. Though, as another comment noted, the knowledge can make life more complicated. SaraBella, out of Portland, Oregon makes gorgeous totes out of plastic bags that were on their way to the landfill.
I have some on my new site bagnanimousbags. Thanks for tackling such tricky items. I have one more for you: ballpoint pens with the barrels made from corn plastic. These are billed as biodegradable, but I am fairly certain the only corn plastic used in the pen is in the barrel. What are your thoughts on items like these?
Biotecbags in India claim to have created a truly bio-degradable plastic that uses a particular type of enzyme additive to effect the biodegradation.
If you have a chance to look into the site, let know what you think of it. Degradation is foundamental when a plastic product is into the bio-sphere for ex. The important thing is that, in the case the bio-plastic for any reason migrated from the landfill to the bio-sphere can decompose in a safe and speed way.
But, in the case of organic products, they drain C02 from athmosphere and water, since the living being from which they come from had absorbed it during their life.
Bio-products in landfills specially forniture-wood, bones and paper are the main reason why the C02 production of C02 great producers such as USA is a little less than scientist expected. I agree with LucaEuge. I have no question in my mind that bioplastics are worlds better than regular plastic. I view the biggest issue right now as the plastic getting out in the environment where it never degrades. I also fully support we MUST reduce consumption of plastics up front.
But let us be realistic. How quickly will the average person or family do this? Collecting organic waste separately also diverts food scraps from landfills and dumps, where they can produce methane — a powerful greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.
However, not every country has the infrastructure in place to use compostable bags to these ends. Biodegradable plastics are also marketed as mulching films for agriculture , which farmers can just leave on the fields to plow under. For decades, plastic mulch film has been spread out on fields to support crop growth and save pesticides and water.
But with conventional plastics, this so-called Plasticulture can cause "white pollution" to accumulate on farmland if it is not removed and discarded. Is biodegradable film a safe alternative? If they are proven to biodegrade in the soil, they would leave less pollution behind. But wind or animals might carry pieces of broken film into the air, rivers or oceans, to places where they might not be able to biodegrade. This article was originally published on Ensia.
Read it here. Are bioplastics really better for the environment? Read the fine print By Anja Krieger August 28, Bio-based cutlery. What exactly is it made from, and what will it take to make it biodegrade? Pawarun Chitchirachan. Show comments for this story. View the discussion thread. Share this article Twitter Facebook Linkedin. Anja Krieger Journalist. More by This Author.
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