What are Biodegradable Plastics?
Biodegradable means a chemical process in which the microbes present in the environment converts or breaks down the material organically into natural substances such as water or compost without any artificial additives. Though all materials are biodegradable, a product is considered to be Biodegradable if it usually degrades in a shorter period of time i.e., Weeks or months. The degrading process also depends on the environmental surroundings, i.e., location and temperature.
Bioplastics: Application And Impact On Environment
Bioplastics are the kind of plastics that requires the use of renewable or organic resources such as vegetable oils and starches for their manufacturing. By 2025, petroleum used in the manufacturing of Bioplastics is expected to decrease by 15-20%.
Bioplastics can be made from renewable resources (Biobased), or they can break down naturally (Biodegradable), or maybe both. Carbon Dioxide produced by almost all the bioplastics is less than the usual plastics. They are not always wholly green. While biodegrading, some bioplastics can also produce carbon dioxide or monoxide. Under the right circumstances, some biodegradable plastics can take 180 days to break down.