What Is Bioplastics?

Bioplastics refer to the plastics based on starch and other natural substances under the action of microorganisms. It's renewable, so it's very environmentally friendly. Many countries have carried out relevant research. At present, bioplastics are widely used in tableware industry, such as organic bamboo fiber tableware, sustainable PLA tableware and eco-friendly sugarcane tableware.

Traditional plastic products not only bring convenience to human beings, but also bring unimaginable troubles. Because some waste plastics will not degrade under natural conditions and will release harmful gases after burning, it has caused difficult pollution to the ecological environment. Therefore, scientists all over the world began to develop plastics that can be decomposed by themselves to solve this problem. Before the appearance of bioplastics, most of the disposable tableware used by people were made of plastic or paper, which would be discarded after use, resulting in serious environmental pollution. The disposable bamboo fiber bowl, disposable bamboo fiber cup and other disposable bamboo tableware made of bioplastics can be decomposed by bacteria and other microorganisms in the natural environment, so it will not pollute the environment. This kind of environment friendly tableware is being vigorously promoted to replace the traditional tableware.

In addition to using bamboo to make bioplastics, people can also use sugarcane, straw and other materials. Biologists at the University of Michigan first proposed the idea of planting bioplastics. They used potatoes and corn as raw materials and implanted genetic genes for plastics so that they could grow bioplastics without harmful ingredients under artificial control. The researchers of Imperial Chemical Industries used bacteria to make biodegradable plastics from sugars and organic acids. The process is similar to the process of producing ethanol, but they use the bacterium called Alcaligenes, which converts the feed into a plastic called PHBV. Bacteria can store plastics in the body and use them as energy, just as humans and animals store fat. When the bacteria stored enough plastic in the body, the researchers used steam to break through the bacteria's cells and collect the plastic. PHBV has similar properties to polypropylene. After being discarded, PHBV is stable even in humid environment, but it will be degraded into carbon dioxide and water in microbial environment.

In addition to the tableware industry, bioplastics are also widely used in the medical industry. In fracture surgery, it can act as a support between the bones. As the bone heals, it gradually decomposes itself. In the treatment of comminuted fractures, doctors need to use stainless steel nuts, screws and other items to fix the patient's bones. But after the patient recovers, still need to carry on the operation again to take out the nuts, the screws and other items in the body. Nowadays, people use tools made of bioplastics to treat comminuted fractures, which break down in patient's body when they heal. Therefore, biological plastics have an important role for human beings.

You can visit Greentime's website if you want to know about or buy some environment friendly tableware such as biodegradable bamboo fiber tableware, disposable PLA tableware, sugarcane bagasse tableware, foldable bamboo laundry basket etc. Our products are not only environmental friendly, but also have fashionable appearance, which can meet the needs of various occasions.