biodegradable polymers

END OF LIFE

after a polymer has been used it is disposed either by littering or being placed in a bin, most plastic is put in landfill and slowly degrades and very little is actually recycled, even some recyclable black polymers are not recycled. some polymers are biodegradable and can be broken down by organisms or by naturally occurring substances

BIODEGRADABLE VS COMPOSTABLE

compostable means that a material will break down with carbon dioxide, water and some other compounds. compostable materials degrade very quickly compared to biodegradable materials and doesn’t leave a toxic residue

TYPES OF DEGREDATION

biopolymers can break down by many methods, such as,

oxy-degradation where oxygen breaks down the polymer often helped by an additive

photo-degradation is when a polymer breaks down from UV light, this is used for weed blockers under soil as no light reaches it

hydro-degradation is for a polymer that degrades or can dissolve in water

TYPES OF BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS

there are two types of biodegradable polymers, polymers made of natural chemicals and polymers from crude oil with biodegradable additives (bio batch)

corn starch polymers are often extruded and single-use polymers, they can easily be injection moulded and are food safe, as they are also easy to printable and UV resistant they can be used for food packaging and utensils

PotatoPak is starch based, it can be powdered and inserted into moulds at high pressures and temperatures to make a rigid shape, it is used for cutlery and can have an additive to make is suitable for packaging pellets

Biopol is biopolymer made by bacteria, it can easily be moulded or formed and can have an anti biodegradable additive

PLA (polylactide acid) is a biopolymer from fermented corn starch, it can be easily extruded and can be used for 3D printers, it can also be recycled, it’s requires a lot of heat to biodegrade

lactide is a synthesised polymer developed from PLA, it is hydro-degradable and is used in pill capsules and detergent pods

glycolide is a synthetic polymer synthesised from PLA is sheet and film form. it can be called Ecofilm and used for food and flower packaging. it is similar to LDPE and can be used for bin liners

PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) is a natural polymer that can be composted, it is food safe and can be moulded like a thermoplastic. it is made from organic waste, fermented bacteria cultures, water and oxygen