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Bio-Based Materials for Food Packaging Applications
Published in Arbind Prasad, Ashwani Kumar, Kishor Kumar, Biodegradable Composites for Packaging Applications, 2023
Purnima Justa, Hemant Kumar, Sujeet Kumar Chaurasia, Adesh Kumar, Balaram Pani, Pramod Kumar
Bioplastic shows resemblance with conventional plastic in terms of their properties and hence can be used as a solution to the menace caused by the plastic. According to the European bioplastic organization, a plastic material is described as bioplastic if it is bio-based, is biodegradable, or has both attributes. Bioplastics as the name implies are bio-based polymers produced from renewable sources and are biodegradable (Mangaraj et al. 2019). Biodegradable polymers are environmentally benign since they break down into natural products, i.e. CO2 and N2, water, biomass, and inorganic salts by the action of naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi (Kumar et al. 2020). However, renewable resources-based plastics may not necessarily be biodegradable or vice versa (Figure 2.1 shows the origin and degradation relation) as biodegradation has a relation with the chemical structure of the compound rather than its origin (Qamar et al. 2020). Bio-based materials are a group of polymers extracted from natural material (biomass), microorganisms, or chemically synthesized from the natural monomer. The growing concern about the health and the environment acts as a driving force to produce natural and biodegradable packaging materials to protect both the environment as well as the quality of food. To match up with the conventional plastic materials for food packaging purpose, the bio-based materials have to compete with them in terms of cost and versatility, for which the bio-based plastic needs to excel in technical expectations.
Sustainable Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) from Food Wastes
Published in Jitendra Kumar Saini, Surender Singh, Lata Nain, Sustainable Microbial Technologies for Valorization of Agro-Industrial Wastes, 2023
Sunanda Joshi, Monika Chaudhary, Varsha Upadhayay, Arindam Kuila
These polymers are composed of monomers with wide variations in chain length (9–11). The PHB (Figure 7.3) is well-known since it is produced by various wild-type and environmental isolates when cultured on a variety of carbon sources (11–14). Bacteria that make biodegradable plastic are a major social and environmental issue. The cost of making this bioplastic via conventional methods, on the other hand, is significantly greater than petrochemical-based polymers.
Recent Trends in Microalgal Refinery for Sustainable Biopolymer Production
Published in Sanjeet Mehariya, Shashi Kant Bhatia, Obulisamy Parthiba Karthikeyan, Algal Biorefineries and the Circular Bioeconomy, 2022
Menghour Huy, Ann Kristin Vatland, Reza Zarei, Gopalakrishnan Kumar
Bioplastic can be classified into two main categories bio-based/non-biodegradable and biodegradable plastic. Polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamides (PA), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene furanoate (PEF), and poly (trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) are in the bio-based/non-biodegradable group, where biodegradable plastic consists of polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS), and starch blends (European Bioplastics, 2019). PHAs and PLA products are known biopolymers, which can be derived from microalgae biomass. The current market (2021) trench of bio-based plastic consists of 44.5% bio-based/non-degradable and 55% biodegradable products (European Bioplastics, 2019). Increased biodegradable products will help reduce plastic footprints, therefore satisfying the strict policy applied in Europe.
Microalgae-based carbon capture and utilization: A critical review on current system developments and biomass utilization
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2023
Luong N. Nguyen, Minh T. Vu, Hang P. Vu, Md. Abu Hasan Johir, Leen Labeeuw, Peter J. Ralph, T. M. I. Mahlia, Ashok Pandey, Ranjna Sirohi, Long D. Nghiem
Plastics are currently produced from fossil sources and are difficult to break down (Zhang et al., 2019). Bioplastics can either come from a biological origin, or be biodegradable, or both. Microalgae can have a high proportion of polysaccharides, proteins, or lipids, which all can feed into the current bioplastic processing systems and produce either more traditional plastics or biodegradable plastics such as polylactic acid and polyhydroxyalkanoates (Zhang et al., 2019). Producing plastic from biological origin could reduce GHG emissions by 67–116% compared to traditional sources (Beckstrom et al., 2020). Bioplastics that can biodegrade (back to CO2 and water) can also reduce the impact on the ocean and landfills that are currently being stressed by non-degradable plastics. However, some plastics produced from microalgae that are more durable could act as carbon sinks.
A hierarchy weighting preferences model to optimise green composite characteristics for better sustainable bio-products
Published in International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, 2021
Faris M. AL-Oqla, Mohammed T. Hayajneh
Bio-plastic is a plastic based on organic biomass and renewable sources as oils, fat and petroleum, to reduce the problem of plastic waste which the planet and environment suffering from (AL-Oqla and Salit 2017a; Al-Oqla, Hayajneh, and Fares 2019). Many bio-plastics are biodegradable which mean plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living organisms, usually bacteria. Bio-plastics are used for disposable items, such as packaging, crockery, cutlery, pots, bowls, and straws, bio-plastics generally do not produce a net increase in carbon dioxide gas when they break down (because the plants that were used to make them absorbed the same amount of carbon dioxide to begin with). The development of bio-based plastics, or bio-plastics, has provided humanity with a more eco-friendly alternative for the production of packaging and single-use items (Das et al. 2019a; Ganguly et al. 2017). The industry is steadily growing; market expert predicts global bio-plastic production capacity will increase from about 2.05 million tons globally in 2017 to approximately 2.44 million tons in 2022. In theory, bio-plastics could replace any disposable item made from plastic, such as cutlery, packaging, and straws (Halimatul et al. 2019). Biodegradability of bio-plastics occurs under various environmental conditions including soil, aquatic environments and compost. Both the structure and composition of biopolymer or bio-composite have an effect on the biodegradation process, hence changing the composition and structure might increase biodegradability (Ganguly et al. 2018).
Plastics: friends or foes? The circularity and plastic waste footprint
Published in Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2021
Jiří Jaromír Klemeš, Yee Van Fan, Peng Jiang
However, each new product and/or technology brings welfare, but also problems and shortcomings. In the case of plastic, their main advantage becomes the major problem. Plastic becomes cheaper than traditional materials, and it allowed single-use in many applications. There have been plenty of statistics that suggest the increase in plastic waste recycling and even overtook landfill (PlasticsEurope 2018). However, the exact recycling rate is being questioned in the recent year with the waste exporting ban in several countries (Brooks, Wang, and Jambeck 2018). The plastic waste is sent with the intention of recycling (export to developing countries), but there is lacking information on how much is recycled and end up in new applications. The footprint and sustainability of those processes are not completely captured. Unmanaged plastic waste which leaks to the environment as debris or microplastics could cause ecological damage (de Souza Machado et al. 2018) and even entering the food chain. Another concern subjected to plastic is the depletion of fossil resources, as it is mostly derived from petrochemicals. More than 90% of the plastic is petroleum-based and non-biodegradable (Zhao, Cornish, and Vodovotz 2020). Bioplastic (e.g. polylactic acid) (Djukić-Vuković et al. 2019) is introduced and promoted as an alternative to improve the environmental credentials of plastic. The waste management strategies for polylactic acid have been discussed by Payne, McKeown, and Jones (2019). However, the exact environmental impacts of bioplastic are still not fully understood and lack sufficient evidence (Walker and Rothman 2020). The plant-based plastic requires fertilizer, pesticides and land. Bioplastics can be produced from waste, e.g. food waste to polyhydroxyalkanoates (Tsang et al. 2019), could have a lower environmental impact. However, the economic viability, associated pre-treatment as well as the indirect effects (demand of food waste or insecure supply) need careful assessment. Biodegradable plastics (petroleum-based with additive) are another option. However, they can still create debris and pollution, especially when they are not well collected, as it is not fully degraded under all condition. The mentioned issues corresponding to the plastic consumption still could not be significant if the waste management supply chain had not been well developed and especially followed (Ryan 2015).