Biodegradable plastics: what are and types

It is known as Biodegradability to the type of decomposition by which some products and substances disintegrate thanks to the action of certain biological organisms, such as bacteria, insects, fungi, algae, etc. These organisms use substances to produce energy, and create other compounds through them, such as tissues, organisms or amino acids. In addition, conditions of temperature, light, moisture, oxygen, etc. must be given, favorable for this to occur in a relatively short period of time.

Therefore, a product is biodegradable when it is able to disintegrate through the action of the environment and the biological organisms that inhabit there. There are two types of biodegradation. On the one hand, the aerobic biodegradationthat occurs outdoors, where there is oxygen; and, on the other hand, Biodegradation Anaerobicwhich takes place with the absence of this compound. The second produces biogas, fundamentally methane, a greenhouse gas that increases global warming.

Biodegradability is related to ecology and very often to the damage produced by plastics to nature, which take hundreds of years to decompose. The duration or time of decomposition is a very important aspect to consider to determine the degree of biodegradability. For example, a banana peel takes only 2 to 10 days to degrade and the paper around 2 to 5 months, so these examples are much easier to biodegrade than a wrap that includes, for example, plastic and paper, even if the plastic is biodegradable.

We tell you more on this subject in this other post of ecology see about biodegradability: examples of biodegradable products.

The biodegradable plastics are those that are manufactured with Renewable raw materialssuch as wheat, corn or cornstarch, soybean oil, potatoes, bananas or cassava. Given their form of production, these plastics are biodegraded by microorganisms, so they can reintroduce in the natural cycle of the environment in the form of beneficial fertilizer for the soil and with a period of degradation time much lower than that of conventional plastics. In this other article we explain how to make biodegradable plastic with cornstarch.

However, although it seems that this is the solution to all the problems that we have had with plastic and its pollution, unfortunately this is not so. Although they come from natural raw materials reabsorbable by nature, biodegradable plastics continue to present many problems.

Biodegradable plastics problems

• The labeling of these plastics does not specify that their use reduces pollution in rivers and seas. The conditions that these plastics need for decomposition are very rarely the same as those presented in the oceans and rivers. Thus, they can take centuries to break down if the microbes responsible for their decomposition do not find oxygen to carry out their task.
• Although they take less to degrade in natural environments, on average they can be delayed around 3 years. For example, manufactured diapers with conventional plastic take about 350 years to degrade, while those made of biodegradable plastic from 3 to 6 years.
• Complex recycling. These plastics, being “biodegradable”, cannot be mixed with conventional ones, so it would be required of a different recycling strategy for these products.
• Plastic production is obtained from food sources. This means that, even if they were biodegradable in a reduced period of time, large extensions of land would be needed to cultivate the products of their manufacturing, in addition to the use of fertilizers and water, so that overexploitation and deforestation of natural ecosystems would increase.
• Specific conditions required. These conditions are the same that occur in industrial composting plants (balanced moisture, aeration, oxygen and temperature higher than 50 ° C in a long way). It is very difficult to maintain these conditions for the production of large -scale biodegradable plastic.
• Its elaboration at the hands of renewable sources does not entail that they are manufactured with less harmful or additive chemicals.

To conclude we can say that, although they are better than the conventional ones, biodegradable plastics do not solve the current global problem of the global scope of the plastic pollution. In addition, its decomposition depends a lot on the conditions that occur in the environment.

However, these plastics can be very useful for certain uses and as a means to continue investigating this problem. However, to this day, the best way to fight against plastic pollution is based on reducing any use of plastics, reuse in the event that their use is necessary and replace them with other materials whenever possible, such as fabric or cardboard bags. Here you can learn more alternatives to replace plastic bags.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnyeqsbenh8

Basically, there are two Types of biodegradable plasticsS:

• Bioplastic: These plastics are obtained from renewable raw materials.
• Plastics manufactured with biodegradable additives: they are not produced 100% with renewable raw materials, but these plastics are composed of petrochemicals that improve their biodegradation.

Next, we present some examples of the usefulness of both types of biodegradable plastics.

• Wrappers. The wrappers made of biodegradable plastic for food packaging. Recall that its decomposition takes much less time than traditional plastic, so it would be convenient to use bioplastic to reduce the contamination that originates from the massive sale of food products.
• Agricultural sector. It is a good option since it can be mixed with layers of seed and mulch and to produce soil coverage and pots.
• Medicine. Biodegradable plastics are another accurate option for the manufacture of certain plastic products destined for medicine such as degradable capsules inside the human body, microdispositive or absorbable sutures.

It is known as oxobiodegradation to the process of decomposition of the subject in which two stages converge, oxidation and biodegradationwhich can happen at the same time or successively. This applicable technology during the manufacture of plastic thanks to the introduction of prodigranting agents allows this material to degrade in much less time than conventional plastic, hundreds of years to just a few months with this Oxo technology.

After finishing its useful life, plastic, under abiotic conditions, begins to lose the properties and fragmented. Next, through a cellular and oxidizing phenomenon, the plastic becomes fragile and biodegrades in millions of invisible particles for the human eye. The possibility of its decomposition can be carried out in any environment with oxygen and without the need for water, they can be recycled and designed through recycled products.

These characteristics classify oxobiodegradable plastic as a born competitor with many advantages over the other types of plastics. Thus, we can currently find many products manufactured from oxobiodegradable plastic:

• Purchase bags
• Garbage bags
• Gloves
• Bottles
• Glasses
• Packaging

If you want to read more articles similar to Biodegradable plastics: what are and typeswe recommend that you enter our category of organic products.