Page 47 - Plastics News Issue - January 2025
P. 47
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Biodegradability is in demand wood flour, and cotton. By incorporating these
fibres into the polymer matrix during the resin
Biodegradable bioplastics have seen increased extrusion process, manufacturers can enhance
interest, particularly for single-use applications the strength and durability of the resulting ma-
like packaging. With the growing global aware- terial, making it suitable for a wider range of ap-
ness of plastic pollution, there is a growing de- plications. These materials improve the mechani-
mand for materials that can decompose under cal properties of the polymers while keeping the
natural conditions. Biodegradable bioplastics, bioplastic biodegradable.
such as PLA and PHA, have become popular
choices in this regard. They can break down into However, this process is not without its challeng-
organic components like water, carbon dioxide, es. High extrusion temperatures can degrade the
and biomass, thereby reducing the environmen- natural fibres, which affects the overall quality of
tal impact of plastic waste. This demand has the bio-composites. At the same time, ensuring
been driven by a range of new legislation crack- adequate mixing of the fibres and the polymer
ing down on single-use plastic. China, for exam- is critical to achieving consistent material prop-
ple, has exempted biodegradable bioplastics erties. To address these challenges, companies
from their ban on single-use plastic, suggesting like Farrell Pomini have been developing new
that end-of-life issues of these materials are not resin extruders specifically designed to handle
the same as other plastics. biocomposites. These extruders are capable
of maintaining the integrity of the natural fibres
However, the picture is less clear. To biodegrade during processing while ensuring even distribu-
well, these bioplastics need certain conditions in tion throughout the polymer matrix.
their environment. If they end up in a landfill in
an anaerobic environment, they will not degrade Biocomposites are versatile and their material
at all. Generally, these plastics are designed to properties can be controlled by adjusting the
be composted in industrial composting environ- proportion of filler material and biopolymers.
ments, although some are home compostable Their suitability for performance applications has
depending on the polymer composition and for- not yet been fully explored. One of the proper-
mat. Consumers are often left unclear about the ties of these materials that can be enhanced is
potential impact of improper disposal of these their biodegradability. Biodegradability is affect-
items. With the very limited global capacity of in- ed by the density of biobased filler, the pres-
dustrial compositing, it is likely that the potential ence of which can speed up the breakdown of
advantages of biodegradability will not be fully thicker and more bulky plastic applications such
realised. as cutlery.
Bio-composites aim to overcome bioplastics Overall, the gap between the promise and de-
limitations livery of biodegradable bioplastics is still signifi-
cant. However, alongside the development of
One of the ways the industry is addressing the better infrastructure for composting these ma-
limitations of bioplastics is through the develop- terials, innovations such as biobased composites
ment of bioplastic bio-composites. These ma- may produce materials better suited to over-
terials combine bioplastics with biobased fillers, come these challenges.
such as natural fibres derived from wood pulp,
January 2025 PLASTICS NEWS 47
