Progress in Plasticity

Adjuct of Bipol Blog

In the preceding years it is more widely accepted that the use of long-lasting polymers for short-lived applications (packaging, catering, surgery, hygiene,) is not entirely adequate. Justifiably, when increased concern exists about the preservation of more fragile ecology systems, most of today’s synthetic polymers are not biodegradable and therefore produce more produced from petrochemicals. Persistent polymers such as cane, fossil fuels, and coal are a significant source of environmental pollution- harming wildlife and effecting earth’s natural dispersion. The effects of plastic bags are prominently known to affect the fish and other food sources in our seas. Additionally, plastics have a large part on waste management, and the collectivities (municipalities, regional or national organizations) are becoming acutely aware of the significant savings that the collection of these compostable wastes would provide.

Additionally, valorising or creating an outlet for the waste is a daunting process. Although creating a means for some in South America for example, where individuals climb through heaps of biproduct using only their own means, the waste continues to press on known issues. Energetic valorisation yields some toxic emissions (e.g., dioxin). Material valorisation implies some limitations linked to the difficulties to find accurate and economically viable outlets. In addition, material valorisation shows a rather negative eco-balance due to the necessity, in nearly all cases, to wash the plastic wastes and to the energy consumption during the process phases (waste grinding and plastic processing).

For these different reasons, reaching the conditions of conventional plastic replacements by degradable polymers, particularly for packaging applications, is of major interest for the different purveyance in socio-economical life (from the plastic industry to the consummate citizen).
The potential of biodegradable polymers and more particularly that of polymers obtained from agro-resources such as the polysaccharides (e.g., starch) has long been recognized. However, to this day, these agro-polymers largely used in some applications (e.g., food industry) have not found extensive applications in the packaging industries to replace conventional plastic materials, although, on the horizon we may find more interesting ways to overcome the limitation of the petrochemical resources in the future. The fossil fuel and gas could be partially replaced by greener agricultural sources, which should also participate to the reduction of CO2 emissions.