Research into Materials - Bioplastics

 

What is a bioplastic?

A bioplastic is a plastic that is made partly or wholly from materials derived from biological sources such as sugar cane, potato starch or the cellulose from trees, straw and cotton. Bioplastics are often designed so that they biodegrade or compost, aided by fungi, bacteria and enzymes.

Bioplastics can generally be directly substituted for their oil-based equivalent. They can also be made to be chemically identical to the standard industrial plastics.

The Benefits of using bioplastics...

A more sustainable product - Bioplastics reduce the use of non-renewable, oil-based resources, which are increasingly scarce and unstable in price.

Lower embodied energy - Bioplastics take less energy to produce and convert to finished products. This means lower manufacturing costs and lower emissions, helping companies meet corporate objectives and environmental policies

Improving carbon footprints - Biomass feedstocks absorb carbon dioxide as they grow, and bioplastic manufacture uses less energy in production.

Managed end-of-life - Bioplastics often biodegrade and compost, completing the virtuous cycle back to nature. Durable plant-based bioplastics can be recycled as well as their conventional equivalents.

Intelligent benefits - Bioplastics can be engineered to have novel technical characteristics such as vapour control and tactile properties. Tailored to biodegrade after a determined period of time, they can also enrich soils on decomposit

 " Bioplastics, removing the environmental impact without removing the packaging. Our polymers are plant based and 100% renewable and compostable at the end of their useful life.Our product ranges can be used for a wide range of packaging items from primary and secondary packaging films and laminates to Point of Sale (POS) displays and durable  electronic casings. " - http://www.biomebioplastics.com/applications/

http://www.biomebioplastics.com/bioplastics/ 

Eco-Friendly Styrofoam Made From Mushrooms

 

Ecovative Design‘s ‘Mushroom packaging’ is an eco-friendly alternative to Styrofoam made from mushrooms.

It is grown from agricultural byproducts and mycelium, a fungal network of threadlike cells that is like the “roots” of mushrooms. The mycelium digests the agricultural byproducts, binding them like a natural, non-toxic glue into a structural material. This is being used to create next generation biocomposite materials, replacing plastic foams and dense materials like particle board.