Can oxo-biodegradable plastics solve waste management challenge?
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SK MALIK
Aug 30, 2014, 1:29:07 AM8/30/14
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Can oxo-biodegradable plastics solve waste management challenge?
While recycling is ideal option for handling plastics waste, it has practical problems. Oxo-biodegradable technology can be used to find solution to the problem of plastic litter
Plastics is still the best option for protecting, wrapping and carrying food and other goods, but the problems caused by plastics waste (usually in the form
of plastic bags and other forms of packaging) are often in the news because they are known to cause environmental problems worldwide. Plastics can lie or float around in the environment for decades causing a visual nuisance and danger to wildlife, and approximately 70% of marine pollution is due to conventional plastic.
Make plastics biodegradable
The most common response to solve the problem of plastics waste is to ban or tax it. But this is the wrong approach, as new technologies have become available at little or no cost, which convert the plastics to a biodegradable material at the end of its useful life. It can be made with the same machinery as ordinary plastics. Oxo-biodegradable plastic performs exactly the same function as conventional plastics but will not remain an environmental nuisance for future generations.
It is crucial to remember that the new technology does not just break up plastics into tiny pieces. These fragments are not plastics. They are biodegradable materials.
Plastic does not cause oil-depletion, as it is made from naphtha, a by-product of oil refining, which used to be wasted. The oil is extracted to make fuels and the same amount of oil would be extracted even if plastics did not exist. Oxo-biodegradable plastic technology (or smart plastics as it is sometimes called) was developed to tackle the problem of plastic litter by changing the nature of the plastics we use.
Oxo-biodegradable plastic is conventional plastic, made from polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene, to which has been added small amounts of metal salts, none of which are heavy metals. Oxo-biodegradable plastic is tested according to ASTM D6954 or BS8472 to prove that it degrades and biodegrades and that it is not toxic. It can be programmed to degrade in whatever approximate timescale is desired.
The metal salts act as a catalyst to speed up the molecular breakdown of the polyolefins and incorporate oxygen atoms into the resulting low molecular mass. The chemical change enables the further breakdown of the material by naturally occurring micro-organisms and fungi typically within 6-24 months depending on temperature and other environmental factors. If the item is collected during its useful life, it can be recycled along with conventional plastics.
Make plastics biodegradable
The most common response to solve the problem of plastics waste is to ban or tax it. But this is the wrong approach, as new technologies have become available at little or no cost, which convert the plastics to a biodegradable material at the end of its useful life. It can be made with the same machinery as ordinary plastics. Oxo-biodegradable plastic performs exactly the same function as conventional plastics but will not remain an environmental nuisance for future generations.
It is crucial to remember that the new technology does not just break up plastics into tiny pieces. These fragments are not plastics. They are biodegradable materials.
Plastic does not cause oil-depletion, as it is made from naphtha, a by-product of oil refining, which used to be wasted. The oil is extracted to make fuels and the same amount of oil would be extracted even if plastics did not exist. Oxo-biodegradable plastic technology (or smart plastics as it is sometimes called) was developed to tackle the problem of plastic litter by changing the nature of the plastics we use.
Oxo-biodegradable plastic is conventional plastic, made from polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene, to which has been added small amounts of metal salts, none of which are heavy metals. Oxo-biodegradable plastic is tested according to ASTM D6954 or BS8472 to prove that it degrades and biodegrades and that it is not toxic. It can be programmed to degrade in whatever approximate timescale is desired.
The metal salts act as a catalyst to speed up the molecular breakdown of the polyolefins and incorporate oxygen atoms into the resulting low molecular mass. The chemical change enables the further breakdown of the material by naturally occurring micro-organisms and fungi typically within 6-24 months depending on temperature and other environmental factors. If the item is collected during its useful life, it can be recycled along with conventional plastics.
At present the biggest market for oxo-biodegradable plastics is lightweight shopping bags, food wrappers and packaging films. However, there is growing interest from farmers world-wide for plastic sheeting to protect fruit, wrap silage, inhibit weeds and conserve moisture.
The fact that the approximate life of the product can be controlled makes oxo-biodegradable plastics uniquely suitable for these applications, as the farmer no longer needs to remove and dispose of tonnes of contaminated plastic after the harvest.
Oxo-biodegradability is not a disposal option, it would be preferable if all the plastics waste could be collected and re-cycled but this is not practical. This fact has been recognised by several countries who have already passed laws to make the use of the oxo-biodegradable plastic mandatory. Some of the countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East (with a combined population of more than 200 million) have carefully considered the effectiveness and safety of oxo-biodegradable technology and are leading the way by legislating for a sensible solution to the problem of plastic litter. img src="http://b.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=8021726&cv=2.0&cj=1" />
The fact that the approximate life of the product can be controlled makes oxo-biodegradable plastics uniquely suitable for these applications, as the farmer no longer needs to remove and dispose of tonnes of contaminated plastic after the harvest.
Oxo-biodegradability is not a disposal option, it would be preferable if all the plastics waste could be collected and re-cycled but this is not practical. This fact has been recognised by several countries who have already passed laws to make the use of the oxo-biodegradable plastic mandatory. Some of the countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East (with a combined population of more than 200 million) have carefully considered the effectiveness and safety of oxo-biodegradable technology and are leading the way by legislating for a sensible solution to the problem of plastic litter. img src="http://b.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=8021726&cv=2.0&cj=1" />
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