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Life cycle analysis studies show that some bioplastics can be made with a lower carbon footprint than their fossil counterparts, for example when biomass is used as raw material and also for energy production. However, other bioplastics' processes are less efficient and result in a higher carbon footprint than fossil plastics.
There is also much debate about the total carbon, fossil fuel and water usage in manufacturing biodegradable bioplastics from natural materials and whether they are a negative impact to human food supply. To make 1 kg (2.2 lb) of polylactic acid, the most common commercially available compostable plastic, 2.65 kg (5.8 lb) of corn is required. [57]
The plant- and fossil-fuel-based versions are chemically indistinguishable—the only way to tell the difference is through radiocarbon dating (carbon molecules extracted from fossil fuels are ...
Whether a material is biodegradable is determined by its chemical structure, not the origin of the material from which it is made. [14] Indeed, the sustainability benefits of drop-in biobased plastics occur at the beginning of the material life cycle, but still, when manufactured, their structure is identical to their fossil-based counterparts ...
While most plastics are produced from petrochemicals, bioplastics are made substantially from renewable plant materials like cellulose and starch. [26] Due both to the finite limits of fossil fuel reserves and to rising levels of greenhouse gases caused primarily by the burning of those fuels, the development of bioplastics is a growing field.
Accelerated soil burial tests are used to record the degradation process of the plastic in the ground by replicating the conditions of a landfill, a typical disposal site for plastics. These tests are used after the service life of the material has been depleted, and the next step for the material is disposal.
MarinaTex is a bioplastic material designed to serve as an alternative to single-use plastic in a variety of applications. [1] It is translucent and stronger than LDPE plastic. [2] This biodegradable bioplastic is made from red algae and organic waste from the fishing industry. MarinaTex plastic takes between four and six weeks to decompose in ...
The small reptile would have likely roamed the land of what is today southern Brazil, when the world was much hotter. The fossil has been identified as a new silesaurid, an extinct group of reptiles.