{"id":3681,"date":"2018-09-01T11:58:10","date_gmt":"2018-09-01T06:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oyspa.com\/blog\/?p=3681"},"modified":"2018-09-01T11:58:10","modified_gmt":"2018-09-01T06:28:10","slug":"biodegradable-plastics-offer-new-options-for-disposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oyspa.com\/blog\/news\/biodegradable-plastics-offer-new-options-for-disposal\/","title":{"rendered":"Biodegradable plastics offer new options for disposal"},"content":{"rendered":"

How easy would life become if the\u00a0plastic\u00a0you threw in your household composting bin start producing power for your home?
\nResearchers have taken a step toward this futuristic scenario by showing that certain blends of bioplastics can decompose under diverse conditions.
\nPlastic waste pollution is a global environmental problem, particularly in oceans, where\u00a0plastic\u00a0debris can harm or kill sea animals and birds in various ways. Despite increased levels of recycling in many countries, most\u00a0plastic\u00a0waste still ends up in landfills or the environment.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nScientists have developed biodegradable\u00a0plastics, but they often lack the flexibility, strength or toughness of conventional\u00a0plastics. Blends of different bioplastics can offer improved characteristics, but their environmental fate is uncertain.
\nThe researchers studied the fates of 15 different\u00a0plastics or blends under managed conditions, such as composting and anaerobic digestion, as well as unmanaged environments, including soil and fresh or marine water. Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the best-selling biodegradable\u00a0plastics on the market, but it requires high temperatures for breakdown and is not home-compostable.
\nSurprisingly, a blend of PLA and polycaprolactone (PCL) degraded completely to carbon dioxide, biomass, and water under typical home-composting conditions. Many of the individual\u00a0plastics and blends that were tested decomposed under conditions of anaerobic digestion, a process that can produce biogas, and all degraded with industrial composting.
\nThe researchers say that biodegradable\u00a0plastic\u00a0blends could create new possibilities for managing\u00a0plastic\u00a0waste.
\nHowever, only two\u00a0plastics, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and thermoplastic\u00a0starch (TPS), broke down completely under all soil and water conditions. Therefore, biodegradable\u00a0plastics are not a panacea for\u00a0plastic\u00a0pollution, and they must be managed carefully after they leave the consumer, the researchers say.
\nThe full findings appeared in the journal- Environmental Science & Technology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How easy would life become if the\u00a0plastic\u00a0you threw in your household composting bin start producing power for your home? 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