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BIOPLASTIC
The
New Beginning
What is Bioplastic?
Bioplastic is a new form of plastic that is composed of biopolymers from organic biomass sources, such as vegetable oils,cellulose, starches, acids and alcohols.This form of plastic is based on organic substances rather than petroleum, used in conventional plastic. It has been created to help with the pollution of plastic in the world and to help create a cleaner and safer environment. Bioplastic has helped eliminate the amount of excess carbon dioxide released into the environment. Bioplastics are made to degrade easier that conventional plastic as its polymer chains are made of naturall resources that degrade easily.
Why Use Bioplastics?
Bioplastic is an overall better alternative to regular plastic. Regular plastic is derived from petroleum and when burned can release toxic chemicals that have been linked to birth defects, cancer, impaired immunity and endocrine disruption. These chemicals are very dangerous to human health and are found in almost everyone. The continuous use of oil for plastic could also lead to an unsustainable future. As resources are limited and prices increase, the manufacturing of plastic is costing us more and more.The use of plastic is harming the environment more than it is helping.
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The process begins by harvesting the crops.
Sugar, or glucose, is extracted from the crops.
Microorganisms are added to the glucose to begin a fermentation process.
Fermentation replaces chemical synthesis, producing PDD,a colorless liquid glycol, in a natural way.
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TPA (terephthalic acid) is added to the Bio-PD0, creating a molecular bond.
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The result is Sorona; a revolutionary, high-performance polymer whose positive impact is felt by yarn spinners, manufacturers. designers, and consumers across the globe.
This image shows the degrading process of a specific type of bioplastic.
Biodegradable is made from petrochemicals. This substance is engineered to break down more efficiently, allowing for a quick decomposition process. For regular plastic it can take 500-1,000 years to degrade but for bioplastic it can take as little as 80 days, helping with pollution. Bioplastic is broken down by natural bacteria. As this plastic degrades less carbon dioxide is released compared to regular plastic and because bioplastic does not contain chemicals, it will not release harmful chemicals.
How Does It Work?
Latest News
Bioplastic is made up of many biopolymers, mainly starch but some originate from bacteria.Monomers of the natural resources are polymerized. These new polymers are then designed specifically to break down quickly and leave as little carbon dioxide(CO2) as possible. Because the bioplastic is formed with living plants and microorganisms, the gas released is absorbed again. Although bioplastic does release some carbon dioxide, it is far less than any other commercial plastic. The cornstarch molecules that some bioplastics contain slowly absorb water and expand, allowing them to break down into parts that bacteria can digest more easily.
Importance of Bioplatics
THE BOSS
Through the world, pollution has been a huge problem. Eight million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans yearly from landfill. Bioplastic had been first created by Alexander Parkes and has grown as new innovators expand the industry. Wyss Institute who has made a form of bioplastic that has been derived from shrimp shells that contained citosan,These on going projects and scientist continue to expand the possibilities of bioplastics and what it can do for the envioronment. The new form of plastic is made to degrade quickly into the environment, reducing the posibility of petroleum based plastic from entering the oceans. The use of bioplastic will also reduce the amount of toxic green house gas by 70%.
The Future of Bioplatics
This video describes the challenges that bioplastic has faced as well as the process that scientist go through in order to develop new product and expand the bioplastic industries. Cost and the work needed to produce bioplastics has always been an issue and has slowed down the process of production.Scientist hope to create bioplastic that will benefit the environment. As bioplastics have gained popularity, the global market of bioplastics is expected to grow to $44 billion dollars by 2020.
About 1 Million sea birds and 1,000 marine animals die yearly from plastic in the ocean.
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