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Bioplastics win the Future

There are many kinds of plastics used for packaging. Nearly all of them have in common that they take hundreds of years to decay. Ironically they are often only used for some minutes. After that they are just useless, contaminating trash until a small amount is burned inside polluting incinerators.

In fact, today petro-chemistry-based plastics from the 1950's are still being flushed into the oceans by rivers. They are responsible for uncountable deaths of sea dwellers like tortoises or jellyfish. Another stunning fact is that in some areas of the northern atlantic there is a higher amount of plastic per cubic meter of water than plankton. This problem has become manifest in the food-chain and thousands of animals mistake the plastic particles for food, eat them and perish miserably.

But there is hope to live comfortably and enjoy the benefits of synthetics without a bad conscience by using plastics made out of renewable, organic resources that degrade rapidly in contrast to their petrol-based counterparts. Modern technology allows to produce fine bio-plastics out of plants like potatoes and corn. Basically, the starches are fermented to lactic acid, which then is polymerised to form polylactic acid (PLA), out of which all kinds of plastics are made.

Potato Field

Bio-plastic Products

These bio-plastics decay within a short time, around 6 weeks under ideal circumstances such as those found in composting facilities (high humidity, around 60°C and microbial activity). It takes a little longer when left to degrade on its own. They can also be burned for thermal energy generation and produce no contamination other than carbon-dioxide and water vapor.

Bio-plastics are versatile and modern research is showing that nearly all the functions accomplished by petro-chemical synthetics can be handled by PLA-material, and more. For example, produce packaged in bio-plastics stays fresh for a longer time and therefore has a more extended shelf life in the market and better durability for the consumer. Responsible for this is the better gas and vapor diffusion characteristics of bio-plastic foils.

Furthermore, since bio-plastics are made out of locally grown, widespread raw materials the dependance on politically conflictive fossil ressources is diminished and long carbon-dioxide releasing transport routes are avoided.

Alchemia-nova has been a key player in the promotion of bio-plastics and in its adoption in large scale consumption practices. The aim is to reap all the benefits of bio-plastics as soon as possible, specially considering the urgency that global climate change and pollution imposses on our daily lives and our economy.

The key technical issues for a global adoption of bio-plastics have been solved. Unfortunately, the major obstacles for it's widespread introduction have turned out to be of a political nature. It happens to be that huge amounts of money are made with the synthesis and commercialisation of petroleum based plastics. And ironically, fortunes are also made with the disposing, recycling or incineration of the same synthetics. Even though we all pay the price later with a degraded environment. So, entrenched formidable buisness interests and the associated political patronage have been holding back bio-plastics.

Like the graphic above shows bio-plastics insert themselves into a closed biochemical cycle. In the year 2005 alchemia-nova was involved in a project named Loop Linz . This project tested the viability of bio-plastics on a large scale in real life use. Producers, distributors and especially consumers had a very positive first hand experience and were convinced of the adequacy of bio-plastics for daily consumption. The primary target of the project was the advancement of sustainable packaging technologies. Alchemia-nova was the initiator of the project together with the state government of Upper Austria and the city of Linz. Among many other things alchemia-nova made a film titled The mysterious disappearance-Bio-plastics win the future in support of the whole project.

PLA Micro-Granulate

Interspar Bio-carrying bag

Another current approach is the cooperation with one of Austria’s largest retailers Interspar. Carrying-bags made of potatoe starch (the supplier and designer is Pro-Tech ) were introduced in every store and offered as a choice to conventional bags. Austria’s yearly demand of carrying bags adds up to about 700 million units. Thanks to the efforts of Interspar and advise from alchemia-nova at least 2 million of these will be compostable bio-plastic bags in the first year. Continuos efforts from our institute, partners and like-minded people will ensure a rise in the proportion of bio-degradable bags in the future.