Bioplastics are essentially a type of plastic that can be made from natural resources such as vegetable oils and starches. The types of bioplastics dare divided according to the biomass they are made by. A few examples include polysaccharide-based bioplastic, protein-based bioplastic, and lipid-based bioplastic. This is the primary difference between petroleum-based plastic and bioplastic. It is made from renewable substances, thus the requirement for an exhaustible and non-renewable material like fossil fuel is reduced with this invention.
How are bioplastics better than traditional plastic?
The first pro of producing it is the independence from relying on fossil fuels. They also produce significantly lesser greenhouse gases in comparison to traditional plastic and have two-thirds or three-quarters times less carbon per pound. Bioplastics also lack bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone disrupter that is often found in traditional plastics.
What is the scope of bioplastic so far?
Bioplastics are used in disposable items like packaging, containers, straws, bags, and bottles. Non-disposable items include carpet, plastic piping, phone casings, 3D printing, car insulation, and medical implants. The global bioplastic market is projected to grow from $17 billion in 2017 to almost $44 billion in 2022.
This data may lead us to think that they may be a perfect alternative to petroleum-based plastic but certain facts about this substance betray its shortcomings.
Cons of using bioplastic
The first con of bioplastic comes from misjudging it to be a completely biodegradable product, causing no harm to the environment because it is generated using organic materials like potatoes and corn. Studies have shown that bioplastic production results in greater amounts of pollutants, due to the fertilizers and pesticides used in growing the crops and the chemical processing needed to turn organic material into plastic.
Bio-PET is a bioplastic that has almost completely replaced petroleum-based plastic beverage packaging. However, it is non-biodegradable and responsible for the same harm traditional plastic causes. 40% of bioplastic used today is non-biodegradable. Even the types of bioplastics that are bio-degradable and compostable need to be segregated and composted in a specific manner. For example, PLA is a compostable plastic but it will not decompose like organic products, if not segregated and sent to industrial compost sites.
There are both pros and cons associated with bioplastics. While it may not be the ‘silver bullet’ to our problem, it is still a significant step toward finding a safer and greener path toward development.