Overview of Bioplastics

1. National Webinar on Emerging Trends of Biotechnology
15.10.2022
Sponsored by DBT- Govt. of India
BIOPLASTICS
for a sustainable environment
Dr.G.Indravathi
Incharge- Dept. of Biotechnology
KVR Govt. College for Women(A),
Constituent College of Cluster University , Kurnool

2. ❑ Conventional Plastics
❑ Sustainabilty
❑ Bioplastics - Why -What?
❑ Types of Bioplastic
❑ Biobased Bioplastics
❑ Biodegradable Bioplastics
❑ Degradation
❑ Bioplastics- Statistics
❑ Limitations
❑ Conclusion
❑ References
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3. Conventional Plastics
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❑ Plastics have become
important & inseparable
part of our lives.
❑ Synthetic plastics
are derived from crude oil,
natural gas or coal.
❑ It is made up of long chains
of atoms, arranged in
repeating units.
❑ It is the length of these
chains, and the patterns in
which they are arranged,
make these polymers strong,
lightweight, and flexible

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15 Mt in 1964 ----------------------- 750Mt 2040

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Plastic Production Sector Wise

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7. ❑ Plastics with Code 1 is considered safe to recycle, but it can be
recycled only once.(water & Soft drink bottles)
❑ Plastics with Codes 2,4 and 5 are recycled to secondary products
(Kitchenware, Water tanks, Prosthetic devices).
❑ Plastics with Codes 3,6 and 7 cannot be recycled under standard
recycling procedures and may pose harm to health and the
environment(Pipes, electric & electronic appliances ,disposable
items)
Plastic Recycling Codes- Based on Raw material
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9. Conventional Plastics
 Pros
 Cheap and Easy to Manufacture
 Good Commercial Properties
 Cons
 Complex & hard to decompose
 Relies heavily on petrochemicals
 Recycling requires energy and money
 Releases toxic chemicals & GHG
 Fragmentation –Micro & Nanoplastics
 Most of it is not recycled
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10. ❑ Sustainability helps in meeting our own needs from
the available resources and ensuring that there will be
enough resources left for future generations.
❑ Sustainability should include the ecological well being
apart from the social and economic dimensions
(WCED-World Commision on Environment &
Development)
What is Sustainability?
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11. End of Life
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-105317
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❑ Leakage of plasticizers-
Phalates,bisphenols
❑ Release of hazardous
chemicals-
dioxins,furans,PCBs
❑ SUP,PVC are not recyclable

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Circulatory model involves using resources efficiently and
prioritizing renewable inputs, maximizing a product’s usage
and lifetime in order to extract the maximum value and
recovering and reusing by-products and reducing waste
To achieve the GOAL of Sustainability

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8 Million Tons of plastics leak into ocean every year
79% of all plastic ever produced has not been recycled

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15. To achieve the GOAL of Sustainability
We need to RETHINK about the
energy & resources spent for a
product (SUP) which is just thrown
away with in minutes of use.
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16. To achieve the GOAL of Sustainability
We need to UNDERSTAND for an
alternative to the Traditional
Plastics: BIOPLASTICS
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17. • Reduce carbon footprint.
•Manufacturing processes relatively cost efficient (same
equipment used for conventional plastics can be used)
•Biodegradable - water, CO2 & organic materials
•Requires less or no petrochemicals
•Reduction in litter and improved compostability
• Food Packaging- Safety & Durability
•Valorisation of waste
•Improvement in Rural Agrarian Economy
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18. What are Bioplastics ?
Bioplastic is either Bio-based / Biodegradable plastics /Both
 Biobased Plastic- represents the beginning of life – from which carbon
feedstock the plastic is manufactured (Biomass -corn, sugarcane, or
cellulose)
❑ Biodegradable Plastic- represents the end of life- Removal of the plastic
from environment by microbes – Biological recycling/composting
❑ Bio-based plastics are not necessarily Biodegradable
❑ Biodegradable plastics are not necessarily Biobased.
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19. What are Bioplastics ?
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20. What are Bioplastics ?
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Bioplastics
Conventional
Plastics

21. What Biobased & Biodegradable actually mean?
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24. Biobased Non-Biodegradable Bioplastics
❑ A drop-in bioplastics is a kind of “bio-similar”
copy of the petrochemical plastics but it's
made from biomass instead of fossil-oil.
❑ The drop-in bioplastics uses the same
pathway as the petrochemical plastics
❑ Drop-in bioplastics are easy to implement
technically, as existing infrastructure can be
used.
❑ Examples include bio-PE, bio-PET, bio-
propylene, bio-PP, and biobased nylons.
❑ End of life is recycling
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25. Biobased Biodegradable Bioplastics
Biobased Fossil based
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❑ Starch blends(TPS) have highest
share(22%) in the biodegradable
plastics production.
❑ Glycerol/Urea/Sorbitol –Plasticity
& Tm
❑ PBAT/PVC/PCL-Water resistance
& mechanical strength
❑ Exclusively used in food
packaging

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Starch Based Biopolymers

28. Cellulose Nano fibres
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Carboxy Methylated Cellulose
A major type of cellulose ether
prepared by the chemical attack
of alkylating reagents on the
activated non-crystalline regions
of cellulose

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❑ Due to congenital defects, diseases, and sudden trauma-
necrosis occurs where tissue can't be brought back to life—if it's
not removed or repaired it can affect other areas of the body.
❑ Tissue Engineering involves forming a 3D functional tissue to help
repair, replace, and regenerate a tissue or an organ in the
body. To do this, cells and biomolecules are combined with
scaffolds.
❑ Scaffolds are the biopolymers that mimic real organs (such as
the kidney or liver). The tissue grows on these scaffolds to mimic
the biological process, there by functional tissues can be
created to help restore, repair, or replace damaged human
tissue and organs.
Tissue Engineering

31. Poly Lactic Acid (PLA)
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❑ PLA monomers-D&L-lactic acid, are
produced via microbial fermentation of
plant starch and further chemically
polymerized to yield PLA.
❑ PLA blended with PCL/PEO/Antioxidants
improves gas, water barrier properties
and improves food safety & shelf life.
❑ PLA is suitable for the manufacture of
plastic film, bottles and biodegradable
medical devices (Halloysite nanotubes)

32. PLA- Halloysite Nano Tubes
 HNTs are being used as nanoreservoirs and
nanocarriers for the delivery of drugs
 The biocompatible properties of HNT resulted in
various applications such as in nanomedicine,
biomedicine, tissue engineering, cancer, stem
cells isolation, bioimaging, and sensors.
 It has played a vital role as drug delivery carriers,
with larger loading capacity and longer releasing
kinetics.
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33. Ralstonia eutrophus
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❑ PHAs are polyesters (lipid inclusions)
synthesized and stored by various bacteria
and archaea in their cytoplasm as a result
of stress response.
❑ PHAs are produced by microbial
fermentation under nutrient-limiting
concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus,
sulfur, or oxygen and excess carbon
sources.
❑ PHAs are suitable for various applications:
precussors in synthesis of antibiotics &
vitamins, drug carriers, biocompatible
implants, tissue engineering, cosmetics
and packaging

34. Fossil Based Biodegradable Bioplastics
Biobased Fossil based
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❑ PCL is a biodegradable, semi-
crystalline thermoplastic polyester
produced by cationic or anionic
ring-opening polymerization of ε-
caprolactone
❑ It is used in many FDA-approved
surgical implants and drug delivery
devices for tissue engineering and
regenerative medicine applications
❑ It is used in the production of
polyurethanes which are used as
cushioning material /flexible foam for
home furniture, bedding and carpet
underlay.
❑ PCL impart good resistance to water,
oil, solvent and chlorine
Poly Capro Lactone(PCL)

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DRDO Bags made of Starch & PBAT

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PBAT- Water Soluble Synthetic Biodegradable Polymer

38. Water Soluble Polymers-PVA
❑ PolyVinyl Alcohol is a synthetic water soluble
biopolymer which possess good mechanical and
thermal properties as well as good transperancy
and resistance to oxygen permeation.
❑ It has the idealized formula [CH2CH(OH)]n.
❑ It is used in papermaking, textile warp sizing, as
a thickener and emulsion stabilizer in polyvinyl
acetate (PVAc) adhesive formulations, in a
variety of coatings, and 3D printing.
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39. Bioplastics- Degradation
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Bioplastics- Degradation

41. Bioplastics- Biodegradation
Bioplastics- Biodegradation
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Bioplastics- Biodegradation

43. Bioplastics- Biodegradation
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44. Bioplastics- Biodegradation
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45. Bioplastics- Biodegradation
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46. Bioplastics- Statistics
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❑ Bioplastics currently make up less
than 5 percent of the Global plastics
market, the opportunity for future
global growth is large.
❑ Global growth in bioplastics is
growing at a pace of 18 percent
between 2017 – 2022

47. Global Bioplastics Market
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49. Bioplastics Production Capacity-Region Wise
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50. Global Production Capacity of
Bioplastics – Material Type
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51. 1. Collection System
2. Segregation & Recycling
3. Degradation
4. Land Usage
Limitations
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52. Collection System
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Collection System

54. Know Your Bioplastics
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Recycling System

56. Industrial Composting
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Land Used for Bioplastics Production
❑ As per 2021 data, the land used to grow
the plants for the production of
bioplastics is estimated to be 0.7 million
hectares (0.01%) of the global
agricultural area of 5 billion hectares.
❑ In the next five years, the land use share
for bioplastics will increase to, however,
still below 0.06 percent.
❑ This clearly shows that there is no
competition between the renewable
feedstock for food, feed, and the
production of bioplastics.
❑ Perennial crops in waste lands

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❑ Increase use of Bioplastics from biomass & biowaste reduce reliance on fossil fuels
❑ Move from Single use to Reuse packaging models.
❑ All disposable items should be made of biodegradable plastics.
❑ Compostable bioplastics recommended for food packaging.
❑ Standard recycling process, Industrial Compositing facilities and Collection
Systems should be improved.
❑ Product claiming biodegradability should define disposable environment,
time/rate and extent of biodegradation clearly.
❑ Degradable/Partially degradable plastics are not acceptable as they pollute
terrestrial and marine environment with microplastics
❑ 100% reusable, recyclable, compostable , certified bioplastics production should
be encouraged.
TAKE AWAY MESSAGE

60. ❑ https://www.unido.org/stories/circular-economy-getting-best-out-latin-america
❑ https://greensutra.in/news/plastic-recycling-codes/
❑ https://bioplasticsnews.com/2018/07/05/history-of-bioplastics/
❑ https://www.bpf.co.uk/plastipedia/polymers/polyvinyl-alcohol-pvoh.aspx
❑ http://en.european-bioplastics.org/news/publications
❑ https://youtu.be/TCrcue4LcQk
❑ https://youtu.be/IvOitYqXguI
❑ https://youtu.be/8WnI1NxY0ik
❑ https://youtu.be/ZsjMVB4IOzo
❑ https://youtu.be/JZf9DUPVZJI
❑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7240402/2
❑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340708145_Recent_Advances_in_Bioplastics_Appli
cation_and_Biodegradation
❑ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0266918
❑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/bioplastics
❑ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41748-021-00208-7
❑ https://www.idtechex.com/en/research-report/bioplastics-2020-2025/721
❑ https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/14/7848/pdf?version=1626245605
❑ https://www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/en/news/
❑ https://www.biopak.com/sg/resources/bioplastic-vs-regular-plastic
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REFERENCES

61. **THANK YOU**