BIOPLASTICS
THE PROBLEM
In Kenya, nearly 24 million plastic bags are used monthly, half of which end up in the solid waste mainstream. Plastic bags now constitute the biggest challenge to solid waste management in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. Nairobi is home to three million, three hundred people. Two years ago, Kenya banned the use, manufacture and sale of environmentally harmful plastics, polythene bags and packaging materials. Although people in Kenya now use fabric bags there are some disadvantages to it such as high costs of fabric bags. KAM Stated “We have over 176 plastic manufacturing companies in Kenya which directly employ 2.89 per cent of all Kenyan employees and 60,000 others indirectly,” Therefore, the ban of plastic bags has brought unemployment to some workers in Kenya.
THE SOLUTION
Creating biodegradable plastic bags, which ensures that over time, the bag will degrade. Whether it be in water or on land. When wholly submerged in water, the plastic bag will dissolve, and the chemicals left behind do not affect the surrounding biodiversity such as marine life or plant life.
The plastic bag has no oil by-products, which stop normal, ordinary plastic bags from breaking down and remaining in the environments. This plastic bag includes a biodegradable agent formula known as PVA- a polyvinyl alcohol that dissolves in water, as the chemical base and then replaced the oil derivatives which are in usual plastic bags,to ensure that this plastic bag will, certainly biodegrade over time. A new raw material made by a synthesis from calcium carbide and natural gas.
This environmentally friendly bags can be completely dissolve in 5 minutes in water instead of up to 500 years without contamination. Plasticized polyvinyl alcohol (PVA/PVAL/POVH), a resin obtained from the cracking of petroleum and consequently has a fossil sourcing/origin. While dissolving and biodegrading the product decomposes in basic molecular units, leaving no residues in the surrounding environment.
The purpose of this product is to conserve the environment by creating a product- a plastic bag which can dissolve in water and biodegrade to decrease the amount of plastic bags which are ending up in the landfill, and to create a greener earth which is preserved for the future generations to come. This product turns something that is harmful the the environment, and affecting plant and animal life, especially marine life. This product solves the problem of excessive pollution caused by plastic bags.
HOW BIODEGRADABLE ARE BIOPLASTICS?
-
Degradable – All plastic is degradable, even traditional plastic, but just because it can be broken down into tiny fragments(also known as micro plastics) does not mean the materials will ever return to nature. Some additives to traditional plastics make them degrade more quickly. Photodegradable plastic breaks down more readily in sunlight; oxo-degradable plastic disintegrates more quickly when exposed to heat and light.
-
Biodegradable – Biodegradable plastic can be broken down completely into water, carbon dioxide and compost by microorganisms under the right conditions. "Biodegradable"means that the decomposition happens in a matter of weeks to months. Bioplastics that don't biodegrade that quickly are called "durable," and some bioplastics made from biomass that cannot easily be broken down by microorganisms are considered non-biodegradable.
-
Compostable – Compostable plastic will biodegrade in a compost site. Microorganisms break it down into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at the same rate as other organic materials in the compost pile, leaving no toxic residue.
BRAINSTORMING IDEAS
Biodegradable plastic is plastic that decomposes naturally in the environment. This is achieved when microorganisms in the environment metabolise and break down the structure of biodegradable plastic. The end result is one which is less harmful to the environment than traditional plastics.
Biodegradable plastics can be composed of bio-plastics, which are plastics made from renewable raw materials. There are normally two forms of biodegradable plastic, injection molded and solid. The solid forms normally are used for items such as food containers, leaf collection bags, and water bottles.Biodegradable plastics are made from all-natural plant materials. These can include corn oil, orange peels, starch, and plants. Traditional plastic is made with chemical fillers that can be harmful to the environment when released when the plastic is melted down. With biodegradable plastic, you get a substance made from natural sources that does not contain these chemical fillers, and does not pose the same risk to the environment. Some Ideas that I had in mind were as follows.
1. Edible Films made of Cassava starch and fructooligosaccharides
The purpose of this was to produce fructooligosaccharides , also known as FOSs by using micro organisms and to make the FOSs a main ingredient in cassava starch edible films, which are made according to their barrier properties. FOSs could easily be dissolved, therefore resulting in soluble films
2.Characterisation of cassava starch-based edible film enriched with lemongrass oil
The edible film maintains food quality and an eco-friendly packaging. Cassava
starch-based edible film is capable of being developed because of the approaching appearance of plastic packaging. The addition of essential oils can be used as an alternative to improve the antimicrobial properties of the edible film. Lemongrass oil consists of active compounds that shown antimicrobial activity.
3. Casava Starch and PVA
In this work, a biodegradable plastic film is produced by blending cassava starch and a synthetic biodegradable polymer, which is also known as PVA.
*Different Prototypes can be seen in the subpages
MORE SOLUTIONS
1. Using Agar to Create Bioplastics
At Michigan State University, scientists are trying to cut production costs for bioplastic through the use of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, that use sunlight to produce chemical compounds through photosynthesis. Instead of feeding their plastic-producing bacteria sugars from corn or sugarcane, these scientists tweaked cyanos to constantly excrete the sugar that they naturally produce. The plastic-producing bacteria then consume the sugar produced by the cyanos, which are reusable.
An example of this can be shown in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJA9Utgnd_o
2. Using Cassava Starch and Vegetable Oil
http://ajfand.net/Volume15/No2/Nindjin15015.pdf
3. Gluten from Wheat Flours
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0101-20612003000200027
4. Agar and Lingin
low-cost renewable materials such as agar and lignin could then be developed into new bioplastic materials. Agar is a jelly-like substance, obtained from red algae. Agar melts at 85oC and solidifies from 40oC. Because this property lends a suitable material to be poured into molds to process it in any shape, the agar can be used as a base material for bioplastic. Because lignin is known to play an important role in conducting water in plant stems by crosslinking of polysaccharides, I believe that crosslinking of agar, which consists of polysaccharides, and lignin could be possible. I further believe that agar-lignin bioplastic could improve water permeability because lignin is more hydrophobic than agar. My hope is that agar-lignin bioplastic film could not only reduce plastic waste but also developed as products like fruit and vegetable bags.
5. Using Milk Protein (Caesin) and Ammonia with Glycerin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-9RPmJiJIA.
This packaging is not edible, therefore I have come up with a new Idea that leads to packaging shampoo products instead of food products.