Quimica, Alimentación y Medio ambiente ;Chemistry, Food and enviromental; Kemikalier, Mat och Miljö

In the past five years some plastic packaging manufacturers have launched various forms of biodegradable plastics made from polymers derived from renewable natural resources or bioplastics (BPL). BPL products today have proved adequate to be introduced commercially in certain sectors. Let's see how this type of bioplastic can be introduced into our country.
José Vicente López Álvarez, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid - Lecture Ecoembes

A combination of factors is driving the use of biodegradable plastics. Among them are:

- The high price of petroleum-based resins.

- The increasing consumer awareness about the need to protect the environment.

- Technological maturity reached during the generation of high performance products with these resins.

This explains why in the past five years packaging suppliers have launched biodegradable plastic containers, made from various plants, especially corn, confident that demand will respond positively to their offers. Due to rising prices since 2005 had conventional resins, between 30 and 80%, many companies are inclined to seek alternatives. Some biodegradable plastics have developed a level of maturity that allows them to be competitive, the price gap that separated them from the common resins has decreased considerably, and commodities such as sugar cane and starch are currently cheaper than oil. The productivity and competitiveness tend to increase long-term perspective, and it was evident early and massive concrete applications for these polymers.
Some companies predict that the market for bioplastics in Europe will grow at a rate of 20% per year

Biodegradable plastics can be produced from renewable resources of animal or plant, or fossil resources. The most common materials are PLA, polylactic acid, and PHA, poly-hydroxy-alcanoatos. It is the chemical structure that makes a biodegradable polymer, which unlike a conventional polymer and allows it to be destroyed by microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria in biologically active environments. Although figures are not official, it is estimated that the current market for biopolymers is around 300,000 tonnes per year (base 2007), in which the European consumption is around 50,000 tonnes. Maintaining the continuous growth that has occurred so far, the overall capacity required for production of biodegradable polymers reached a million tons around 2010. In this perspective, Ecoembes considered necessary to determine the impact of so-called bioplastics in the management chain of recovery and recycling of conventional plastics. The Environment Ecoembes Chair of the Polytechnic University of Madrid is developing a project to meet this need. The project includes several aspects: criteria for differentiation between bioplastics and biodegradable plastics, quantification of the production and use of this type of plastic, compliance with established standards of biodegradability in the European Union, impacts on current management processes: collection, plant selection (impact on processing lines) and recycling (impacts on processes and mixtures of raw materials).
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Biodegradable plastic containers are made from various plants, especially corn. Photo: Stacy Braswell.

Some companies predict that the market for bioplastics in Europe will grow at a rate of 20% annually. Experts, including the Biodegradable Polymers Association and Affinity Groups (IBAW), estimate that with the existing quality and prices is possible to have a growth potential for cornering almost 10% of this market of plastics, which arrives in Europe currently about 45 million tonnes per year.
Currently, the market for biopolymers is developing but still can not compete with traditional plastics

Currently the market for biopolymers is developing but still can not compete with traditional plastics. In the European Union some countries have in their shops fruit and vegetables packed in BPL, but in the case of Spain, the market for BPL in containers is limited to any campaign in any mall.
The market for BPL

The projections are made worldwide for 2010, expects growth of installed global capacity for production of biodegradable materials is 75% compared to the present. Although at present the absolute values do not reach even 1% of the total demand for plastic resins in the world, the growth of biodegradable resins is very high.

A combination of factors is driving the growth and acceptance of biodegradable resins, which are:

- The rising price and high oil-derived resins.

- The consumer awareness on the need to protect the environment, purchase produce 'greener'.

- Technological maturity already achieved in the basic generation of products with these resins.

- Government laws are brewing in several countries, particularly in Europe, encouraging the use of these biodegradable products.

- The exclusion of waste management systems such as landfills and the poor image of energy recovery as a final solution.

Against this background Ecoembes considered necessary to determine the impact of so-called bioplastics in the management chain of recovery and recycling of conventional plastics, and in particular in the management of packaging. The Chair Ecoembes of environment of the Polytechnic University of Madrid is developing a project to meet this need.
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It is defined as 'compostable packaging' to one that is biodegradable, producing mainly carbon dioxide, water and humus at a rate similar to that of simple organic materials (eg cellulose) and leaves no toxic or visible residue.
Bioplastic project

The project defined and specific criteria for differentiation between BPL and biodegradable plastics and, above all, the scope of the certificate of composted called these containers.

It is defined as 'compostable packaging' to one that is biodegradable, producing mainly carbon dioxide, water and humus at a rate similar to that of simple organic materials (eg cellulose) and leaves no toxic or visible residue. There is legislation in the European Union, as the Standard EN 13432 in force since January 2005, among others, which could certify compostable plastics and containers made from them, so that consumers can easily distinguish them. Certification and labeling of bioplastics and biodegradable / compostable, would deal with these post-consumer materials along with the organic waste (food scraps, pruning, papers, etc..) Municipal solid waste composting plants.
Requirements for obtaining a plastic container labeled 'compostable':

- Biodegradability (90% before six months).

- Disintegrated: the fragmentation and loss of visibility of the residue in the final compost (absence of visual contamination). This is measured with a composting test (EN 14045), in which the material must be broken before 3 months, with a size less than 2 mm and reach 90% of the initial mass.

- No negative effects on the composting process itself.

- Low levels of heavy metals (below the predefined maximum values), and the absence of negative effects on the quality of the compost (eg reduction of agronomic value and presence of eco-toxic effects on plant growth).

- Other physical and chemical parameters that should not be different from the control compost after the degradation: pH, salinity, volatile solids, N, P, Mg and K.

Therefore, under this hypothesis, the reason for the packaging of BPL is that the final residue will be managed along with organic matter for composting.
Issues that arise with the use of BIOENV

The market trend is to replace the packaging of malls synthetic plastic packaging for fruit and packaged foods manufactured by other biopolymers. This would avoid, manufacturers claim that many of the containers end up in landfills and composting could be directly with organic matter.

Many supermarket chains and stores in Europe are encouraging the use of these biodegradable packaging to meet the interest of consumers to reduce use of fossil fuels and prevent climate change. Companies know that biodegradable packaging are unpopular among the public with an environmental and want to show their support for sustainable development adopted in their marketing plans.
Conclusions

Within the group of degradable plastic containers, the BPL is presented as an opportunity in all environmental strategies demanded by society. However, technical limitations when it comes to sustainably manage their waste, are still high. The evidence is translated into:

- The market for BPL will be a replacement market, primarily by a shortage of raw materials and competition with other sectors such as bioenergetics and feeding.

- Achieving total biodegradability and no toxicity, is currently investigating. Some biopolymers are not achieved the desired levels.

- Would be needed to develop an infrastructure to collect and process biodegradable polymers as an available option for waste disposal.

- Need for international regulatory or grade to distinguish between biodegradable plastics recyclable plastics.

- The creation of 'eco', based on the life cycle impact of a BIOENV (including raw materials, energy consumption, emissions from manufacture and disposal of waste).

- Education and awareness of biopolymers. Consumers will have to learn that the biopolymers must be separated with organic waste (if available separation) or recovered (where appropriate) and precise technology develops.