Biodegradable Polymers Essay

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Biodegradable Polymers: A Rebirth of Plastic Shellie Berkesch Michigan State University March 2005 Biodegradable Polymers: A Rebirth of Plastic Introduction Plastics are being used all over the world. From drinking cups and disposable silverware to parts for automobiles and motorcycles, plastics are continuing to rise. Plastics have been an environmental trepidation because of the lack of degradation. Plastics make up about 20% by volume waste per year. There are over 21,000 plastics facilities in the US, and the employment rate has increased by an average of three percent over the past two and a half decades. Plastics are extremely important to the job market as well as packaging throughout the world. Since plastics are vital to people’s everyday lives, production of biodegradable plastics to make plastics more compatible with the environment is necessary. Figure1.1 The Distribution of Plastics in 1995 Brief History Biodegradable plastics began being sparking interest during the oil crisis in the 1970’s. As oil prices increased, so did the planning and creating of biodegradable materials. The 1980’s brought items such as biodegradable films, sheets, and moldforming materials. Green materials (or Plant-based) have become increasingly more popular (Mohanty, 2004). This is due impart to the fact that they are a renewable resource that is much more economical then they were in the past (Mohanty, 2004). What they are made of? Biodegradable plastics can be made from many different sources and materials. One research group from Cornell is working with “a number of fibers including those obtained from kenaf stems, pineapple and henequen leaves and banana stems” (Replace Landfills, 2002). Their team is working with resins made from microorganisms and commercial resins as well as composites made from soybean protein and plant based fibers (Replace
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