With the improvement of global environmental awareness, people pay more and more attention to the environmental problems brought by traditional plastics. Plastic pollution has become a global problem, posing a serious threat to marine ecosystem and human health. In order to solve this problem, scientists have developed an environmental protection option-biodegradable plastics, which can sustainably replace traditional plastics.
What is biodegradable plastic?
Biodegradable plastic is a kind of plastic made of renewable resources, and its molecular structure can be decomposed by microorganisms and converted into water, carbon dioxide and organic matter. Different from traditional plastics, biodegradable plastics can be degraded by microorganisms in the natural environment, thus reducing the pollution of plastic waste to the environment.
Preparation technology of biodegradable plastics
The preparation process of biodegradable plastics mainly includes three steps: raw material selection, polymerization and post-treatment.
Selection of raw materials
The raw materials of biodegradable plastics usually choose biomass from renewable resources, such as corn starch, sucrose, wood fiber and so on. These raw materials are not only highly renewable, but also can absorb carbon dioxide in the production process and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
polyreaction
In the polymerization reaction, the selected biomass raw materials are chemically treated to obtain monomers that can be used to prepare plastics. Then, the monomers are polymerized into polymer chains through polymerization to form biodegradable plastics.
reprocess
In the process of preparing biodegradable plastics, some post-processing steps, such as extrusion, stretching and cutting, are needed to obtain the required plastic products. These post-treatment steps are similar to the preparation process of traditional plastics.
Advantages of biodegradable plastics
Compared with traditional plastics, biodegradable plastics have the following advantages:
environmental protection
Biodegradable plastics can be degraded by microorganisms in the natural environment without polluting soil and water. However, traditional plastics need decades or even hundreds of years to decompose, causing long-term pollution to the environment.
reproducibility
The raw materials of biodegradable plastics come from renewable resources, such as plant biomass, which is highly renewable. The raw materials of traditional plastics mainly come from petroleum, which is a non-renewable resource.
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Biodegradable plastics can absorb carbon dioxide and reduce greenhouse gas emissions during production. The traditional plastic production process will release a lot of greenhouse gases, which will aggravate the global warming problem.
Application field of biodegradable plastics
Biodegradable plastics are widely used in various fields, including packaging, agriculture, medical care and so on.
Packaging field
Biodegradable plastics are widely used in packaging field. Because of its environmental protection performance, biodegradable plastics have become an ideal choice to replace traditional plastic packaging materials. For example, biodegradable plastic bags can replace traditional plastic bags and reduce the pollution of plastic waste to the environment.
Agricultural field
The application of biodegradable plastics in agriculture is mainly reflected in agricultural film and fertilizer packaging. The traditional agricultural film is often difficult to treat after use, which causes pollution to the soil. The biodegradable agricultural film can be degraded by microorganisms after use and will not pollute the soil.
Medical field
The application of biodegradable plastics in the medical field is mainly reflected in the preparation of disposable medical supplies. Traditional disposable medical supplies are often difficult to degrade after use, causing pollution to the environment. Biodegradable plastics can be degraded by microorganisms after use, reducing environmental pollution.
Development prospect of biodegradable plastics
As a sustainable plastic substitute, biodegradable plastics have broad development prospects. With the improvement of environmental awareness, people's demand for biodegradable plastics will continue to increase. At the same time, with the continuous progress of technology, the performance and cost of biodegradable plastics will be further improved.