Bioplastic

Bioplastic and Biopolymer Production

Biobased performance bioplastic: Mirel.

Each year over 140 million tons of petroleum-based polymers are produced worldwide and used in the production of such plasticsaspolyethylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, and others. Mostly using oil, coal, and natural gas as raw materials for their manufacturing, these plastics are common in every facet of our lives from the pharmaceutical industry to household use. Approxima...

Compostability of bioplastic packaging materials: an overview.

Packaging waste accounted for 78.81 million tons or 31.6% of the total municipal solid waste (MSW) in 2003 in the USA, 56.3 million tons or 25% of the MSW in 2005 in Europe, and 3.3 million tons or 10% of the MSW in 2004 in Australia. Currently, in the USA the dominant method of packaging waste disposal is landfill, followed by recycling, incineration, and composting. Since landfill occupies va...

Microalgae as bioreactors for bioplastic production

BACKGROUND Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a polyester with thermoplastic properties that is naturally occurring and produced by such bacteria as Ralstonia eutropha H16 and Bacillus megaterium. In contrast to currently utilized plastics and most synthetic polymers, PHB is biodegradable, and its production is not dependent on fossil resources making this bioplastic interesting for various indust...

Charlotte Y . Kim The Fantastic Bioplastic ! An Investigation of the Relationship Between Bioplastic Composition and Tensile Strength

Objectives/Goals This project was designed to determine how varying the amount of a specific ingredient that constitute a bioplastic mixture can affect tensile strength. I hypothesized that if more glycerin is added to a mixture of cornstarch, water, vinegar, and glycerin, then a bioplastic with increased tensile strength and flexibility will be produced. Methods/Materials Mold, 40 bioplastics ...