PLA (Polylactic acid) comes from fermented plant starch (mostly from corn), and is often referred to as corn starch plastic. It is becoming popular very quickly, because corn-based plastic is a more environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional plastics, which are petroleum-based. Many countries are starting to ban plastic grocery bags altogether, like Ireland, China, Uganda, and South Africa, because it is exactly these plastic bags that are responsible for the skyrocketing levels of so-called “white pollution” worldwide. Corn starch plastic is deemed to be a biodegradable replacement, which is quite viable in our world today. (To read about oxo-biodegradable plastics, click here). Let’s examine the advantages and disadvantages of implementing corn-based plastics in every-day use.

Advantages
1.Comes from corn, which is a renewable resource
2.Does not contain toxins
3.Producing this kind of plastic creates much less greenhouse gas emissions than conventional plastic production (a reduction of 68 percent)
4.Corn starch plastic can be composted in facilities for industrial composting
5.65 percent less energy is needed to produce corn-based plastic than to produce conventional plastic
6.PLA plastic is competitive with conventional plastic in terms of cost, since petroleum prices are only going up
7.PLA is more safe, since there is no danger of explosions in its production (as is the case with using petroleum)

Disadvantages
1.Although PLA is compostable, there are very few facilities where this can actually be done (in the USA only about 113 sites for this exist)
2.Most likely consumers will not compost corn starch plastics properly, and just put them in regular recycling. This could contaminate the recycling stream
3.Composting PLA in large quantities could undermine conventional composting, since the polymer contained in corn-based plastic makes regular compost more acidic.
4.Since there is a lack of adequate infrastructure to compost PLA, most of it will probably still go into landfills.
5.MRFs – Material Recovery Facilities – are responsible for paying for sorting and disposing of PLA
6.Because PLA is derived from corn, there are moral issues with it being used for packaging, since there are people in the world dying of hunger
7.PLA is mostly produced from genetically modified corn

(To read get some eco-friendly home tips, click here). So, what we can conclude is that corn starch plastic may sound promising as an alternative to regular plastic, but it is by far not an optimal solution to the overall problem of pollution. A much better alternative is to simply take reusable bags with you to the grocery store and switch to reusable containers for storing food at home. The underlying problem is not so much the plastic itself, but our bad habits of using it and disposing of it almost unconsciously. Eliminate one-time, ‘immediate-gratification’ plastic use, and you are on track to a better environment.
For more information on bioplastics, go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
http://www.worldcentric.org/biocompostables/bioplastics

When one reads the term synthetic biodegradable polymer, they might think it is a synthetic version of the plastics known simply as polymer. However, in this instance a synthetic biodegradable polymer could not be more different from the plastic known as polymer. Currently great advancements being made in polymer technology.

The polymer in synthetic biodegradable polymer refers to the large molecule which is made of recurring structural units connect through chemical bonds. Synthetic biodegradable polymers can be used for a number of biomedical applications because when the useful life of a synthetic biodegradable polymer implant ends it degrades by itself removing the need of further surgeries. Here is a list of the 7 application for synthetic biodegradable polymers:

*Using synthetic biodegradable polymers for the reconstruction of the peripheral nerves – recent studies being undertaken are researching on the use of the aliphatic polyester type of synthetic biodegradable polymer as conduits employed in the reconstruction of the peripheral nerves.

* Synthetic biodegradable polymers being used to culture retinal pigment epithelium – alterations made to the retinal pigment epithelium’s function and structures can cause various ocular ailments or diseases. However, recent studies are showing that the implantation of retinal pigment epithelium cells (RPE) cultured on synthetic biodegradable polymer films are proving to be a way to transplant a RPE sheet for the restoration of the normal RPE function.

* Synthetic biodegradable polymer biocompatible with bone proteins – bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) help in repairing bone defects and fractures. Synthetic biodegradable polymers are being successfully used in animals that are biocompatible with the BMP to efficiently form and repair bone defects. This application will soon be used in humans as well.

* synthetic biodegradable polymer as drug delivery systems – as synthetic biodegradable polymer are, as the term states biodegradable, they are perfect for administering in-body drugs. Synthetic biodegradable polymers are used because they can release specific amounts or dosage of drugs into the body at specified intervals.

* synthetic biodegradable polymer as tissue engineering tools – in case of orthopedic injuries or diseases synthetic biodegradable polymers can be used to scaffold to provide support to the injured tissues during its growth period. More recently synthetic biodegradable polymers are being used as cell delivery systems.

* Synthetic biodegradable polymer used in biodegradable sutures – the most important application of synthetic biodegradable polymer is perhaps the invention of biodegradable sutures. These sutures perform the function of ordinary sutures with the added advantage that they slowly dissolve as the wound starts healing. These sutures not only reduce medical bills, but they also reduce the chances of developing an infection over the wound.

*When it comes to ecological applications of synthetic biodegradable polymer, processing of plastic wastes is one of the major applications. More and more industries are using synthetic biodegradable polymers to construct biodegradable packaging, which are environment friendly.

For the original article, click here.

For more information, go to: en.wikipedia.org

In the world of the green footprint, the single main problem that we have created is our dependency on fossil fuel based products. Plastic is all around us. From the minute we get up in the morning and use a toothbrush to almost every aspect of our lives, we are surrounded by plastic produced from oil. It has taken a lot of yelling to bring corporations to the realization that they must seek renewable and sustainable alternatives. The general public needed to buy-into the green effort and now companies see that there are dollars to back the products. While bioplastics have been around for many years, not all offer the ability to biodegrade in any kind of an ecologically conscious manner. Research has continued and thus enter Oxo biodegradable plastic.

What makes Oxo biodegradable plastic different from other bioplastics? The techniques developed to create this new wonder product gives it the ability to use oxidization as the key for biodegrading. Whenever this plastic is exposed to oxygen or micro-organisms that produce oxygen, it reduces the time period to around one hundred and twenty days. The elements that make up the Oxo biodegradable plastics are tested for ecotoxicity; which means the natural products are completely recyclable and have no impact on the earth or soil.

Having lived in Southern California for many years, I was astounded to find out that some of the highest prices homes and communities have been built on landfills. I'm sure that the residents that paid incredibly ridiculous housing prices were just as surprised (if they even knew to begin with). One of the most shocking situations occurred during a rare long term rain situation. The news media began reporting problems in the homes of this well known and upscale community. It seems that the ground to water ratio became imbalanced and was causing the trash from the long buried land fills to rise up out of the ground. The picture that remains in my mind showed trash bags floating around a swimming pool.

For generations, my family has been recycling addicts. This was particularly true of my parent's generation that lived through the depression and the various wars that required the reuse of all metals. Recycling is a lifestyle and not that difficult to accommodate. No matter how much we recycle and reuse, there are always some plastic bags that we need. Although my goal is none, we have reduced our standard trash pick up to two large size kitchen trash bags per week. The Oxo biodegradable kitchen bags have given us the ability to know that the plastic and some of the trash contents will disappear in less than three months. What makes us feel even better is knowing that the material makeup of these bags will actually assist in a natural fertilization process.

There is no doubt that the Oxo biodegradable plastics have come of age. They seem to answer all of the cons of past bioplastic issues. The product cost is low, they have a better biodegradable rate, they can be used in many facets of our lives to replace oil based plastics.

As a third generation ecologist and a member of the first Earth Day, I have been waiting for the country (and the rest of the world) to wake up to the ecological crises that we have created. To the naysayers of Global Warming, I’m sorry, you can’t justify the science of the devastation that we have wreaked in the last one hundred years on a simple explanation of the earth’s cyclical process. Core samples taken from the world’s polar caps tell the story: Humanity is destroying the earth. One of the biggest contributors to this destruction is oil and oil bi-products. Besides our automobiles spewing chemicals into the atmosphere that linger long enough to cause global warming, plastic is the biggy! Whenever a new green product or idea enters the arena, we must examine it completely to assure that it is beneficial and not just another method to make money on the green train. Sustainable bioplastics is in the media. But what are the pros and cons involved in this topic?

First you must examine what are bioplastics? Bioplastics are also called organic plastics (often a misnomer) and are plastics that are created from any of the renewable sources such as plants. Standard plastics are made from petroleum based products. Bioplastics have entered the world in the packaging industry and are quickly making their appearance in a lot of the things we see and use every day. Europe has passed a standard of requirement for a product to be considered a bioplastic. While the European guideline requires that a product have a ninety percent biodegrading rate of the materials within 180 days, the United States guidelines are set at a sixty percent rate.

Pros:
Sustainable bioplastics will help to remove our dependency on oil.
Sustainable bioplastics are made from renewable sources.
Many of the bioplastics are biodegradable
Sustainable bioplastics are used and promoted for recycled products
Product costs are being lowered due to the increased oil prices
The investment into research of bioplastics is being backed by large
Corporate dollars. Continued research will lead to improved
production techniques and products that are more earth friendly.

Cons:
There is a limited shelf life for some of the sustainable bioplastics.
Some bioplastics have a lesser performance factor when compared to petroleum
based plastics.
Some bioplastics have been used for years and have a slow rate for biodegrading.
The manufacturing process of bioplastics still relies on petroleum based energy
Studies have shown that various bioplastics manufacturing varies in its
environmental impact: Some good, some below the bar.
There are concerns that sustainable bioplastics will upset existing recycling
methods
Since the production of bioplastics as market is fairly new, the manufacturing
price tag is not as cost effective as the fossil fuel plastic production; this
is based on existing price of oil.

The mere idea that we are pursuing and adopting bioplastics is a major step in the right direction. It demonstrates that we have pulled our communal heads out of the rabbit burrow and are realizing that what we as humans do has a great impact on the earth and all of it’s inhabitants. In essence, we are starting to mature as a species and thinking of the existence of more than just ourselves. There will be future research and new product development in sustainable bioplastics that will give our children and grandchildren the best inheritance of all: A healthy planet.

In an effort to combat global warming, pollution, excess waste and a whole other slew of environmental problems companies and individual consumers are starting to choose corn plastic. The choice to buy biodegradable plastic wasn't realistically available until a few years ago when corn plastic became usable enough for things like utensils, and containers.

Corn plastics are made through a process that boils down the corn into starch liquid. It is then centrifuged so that the oil is separated from the starch. Once the starch is left it is mixed with citric acid and other ingredients and the result is a long chain polymer. Long chain polymers are the building blocks of plastic materials.

Although this is a major step in the right direction corn plastic has its downside as well. One major downside is that it cannot be mixed in with traditional plastics when recycled. Since corn plastic is plant based it needs to go to a composting facility rather than a recycling facility. There are only 113 current composting facilities in the United States.

Corn plastics are also largely made from genetically modified corn. Because the demand for ethanol fuel and corn plastic has increased so much, companies have chosen to tamper with corn genes in order to produce higher yields. Time will tell just how harmful this tampering may be to the environment and people.

Some pros include corn plastic does not emit greenhouse gases, and degrades much quicker than oil based plastic. Using corn plastic also cuts down on using the nation's oil supply to make regular plastic.

In the 1980s and 1990s, businesses were not too concerned with being good stewards of the environment. As the green movement continues to gain momentum, most businesses are now onboard and have mandated environmentally friendly policies like using biodegradable packaging and biodegradable plastic bags.

Companies are also choosing to buy biodegradable plastic made from corn and sugar cane, which are not only biodegradable, but recent studies now show they give off far less greenhouse gas emissions.

Individuals that choose to go green and be good environmental stewards make an impact on the environment, but when companies get onboard with green policies the impact is tremendous.

With landfills at capacity and our oceans being overtaken with plastic, biodegradable packaging such as biodegradable plastic bags, containers, and silverware are becoming important environmental players.

When companies choose to buy biodegradable plastic from manufacturers, the responsibility is not put on the consumer to choose biodegradable packaging. Say that Walmart chooses to use biodegradable plastic bags for their millions of customers. They have just made a choice that has a huge effect on the environment.

A study conducted at the University of Hawaii has shown that biodegradable packaging gives off 0.27 to 0.49 pounds of carbon dioxide for every pound of plastic compared to 2 to 3 pounds of carbon dioxide that is given off by every pound of conventional plastic. This groundbreaking study shows that green benefits may be even more far reaching than initially thought. More studies are now being conducted at University of Hawaii to further expand on initial findings.

In an effort to go green, many companies and individuals are choosing to buy biodegradable plastic bags and biodegradable packaging. Plastic has long been seen as one of the worst enemies of the environment, but there have been few alternatives to choose from up until recently. With the advent of new manufacturing processes and advanced technologies there are now alternatives to conventional plastics. Conventional plastic gives off greenhouse gases and takes decades to degrade. They are also visual eyesores and are dangerous. Everyone has seen the pictures of plastic bags and soda rings around the necks of innocent animals.

Biodegradable plastic bags will someday be the norm as manufacturing and advanced technologies continue to improve the quality and pricing. Biodegradable plastic bags are made of several different types of materials. When you go out and buy biodegradable plastic it is most likely made of either starch based polymers such as corn, potato, tapioca or wheat. Biodegradable packaging is also made of bacteria based polyesters, starch and polyester combinations, or photodegradable polymers.

Although these biodegradable plastic bags are better for the environment, they are not without their own sets of problems. The mechanical strength of the bag is poor compared to regular plastic, they have a limited shelf life and can usually only be recycled at a special composting facility. For example, if you were to fill a bag of wet leaves or grass in a starch based plastic bag the bottom may fall out depending on how long the wet material is left in the bag.

Individuals and companies are now making a concerted effort to become good stewards of the environment by implementing green principles and initiatives. One easy and powerful way to become more eco-friendly is to make the choice to buy biodegradable plastic items such as biodegradable plastic bags and biodegradable packaging.

Traditional polyethylene plastic bags have become a huge environmental problem within the last few decades. It was not too long ago that standard grocery bag was paper, but since plastic bag manufacturing has become so inexpensive, plastic bags are now the norm. Polyethylene plastic bags pose such a problem to the environment because they are made from petroleum byproducts. The plastic bags take a long time to degrade and during the process give off harmful greenhouse gases and other toxic chemicals.

With the push by the government and big business to go green and make more eco-friendly materials such as biodegradable plastic bags and biodegradable packaging, there has been a surge in new technologies and manufacturing processes that have made the choice to buy biodegradable plastic a wise one.

Biodegradable plastic is made up of several natural materials such as starches, vegetable oils, and cellulose. For example, many schools throughout the country have made the choice to buy biodegradable plastic utensils made of corn. Corn plastic is strong and emits no greenhouse gases, unlike their polyethylene counterparts. Shipping companies are deciding to use biodegradable packaging materials such as eco-friendly packing peanuts, and the list goes on and on.

Corn plastics are popping up in lunch rooms, cafeterias, grocery stores and homes all across the country. Corn plastic is one of the latest weapons to fight against global warming, excess waste, and environmental problems currently plaguing the United States. In an effort to buy biodegradable plastic, most companies, schools and homeowners are turning to corn plastics. Corn plastic has its pluses and minuses and scientists are still trying to improve some of the features such as heat resistance, pliability, and cost.

Conventional plastic is oil based and emits many harmful greenhouse gases and severely harms the environment. Our oceans have become a wasteland of plastic garbage harming the precious balance of the ecosystem causing great harm to sea creatures, mammals and humans. Conventional plastic also takes up a staggering 10 percent of the nation's oil supply.

Corn plastics on the other hand are a carbon neutral bioplastic that can even be eaten. With consumers and businesses choosing to buy biodegradable plastic, corn plastic production has ramped up. To make corn plastic corn kernels are boiled down to the starch and then centrifuged to separate the oil and starch. It is then mixed with citric acid and other ingredients and is then mixed. The result is a long chain polymer, which is the building block of plastic. From there the polymers are used to make corn plastics of all shapes and sizes. Corn is the biggest crop in the U.S. and has now become that much more valuable to the environment and economy.

There are many types of greenhouses, and these can include platic greenhouses and rion greenhouses. Each specific type has pros and cons, and plastic greenhouses are no exception. Plastic is lighter than glass when it comes to weight, so less material and support is needed. It is also usually cheaper than glass as well, but the actual price and cost savings will vary depending on the type of plastic used. Film is very cheap, but it does not last long and must be applied again every year or two because of damage. Plastic film also does not stand up to inclement weather very well, because it is not very resistant and tears easily. Corrugated plastic is a much stronger plastic resin or specialty blend, and these materials may last as long as glass, for decades, without any of the breakage risk that glass has.

Platic greenhouses usually cost less than other types of greenhouses, whether you are purchasing rion greenhouses or building it yourself. The actual price will depend on the type of plastic used, as well as the size and other relevant factors. No matter which type of plastic you choose, it is important to understand everything possible about th plastic so you can get the most out of your plastic greenhouse. Determining the total cost should include maintenance, repair, and replacement parts for any greenhouse, and also any heating or watering systems and costs as well. Plastic greenhouses offer many benefits, but some types do have disadvantages as well when compared to glass. Most plastics do allow maximum sun exposure just as well as glass does.