Seven Biodegradable Plastic Materials

Ordinary plastics are easy to cause white pollution and decompose very slowly under normal conditions. Some people say that there are more plastics in the ocean than fish. This may be alarmist, but we have to take it seriously. With the continuous improvement of people's environmental awareness, degradable plastics are gradually coming into people's field of vision.

We Chinese pay attention to the return of fallen leaves to the roots, and those who make plastics also hope that they can "return to the roots of fallen leaves". After completing its mission, return to nature and become one with nature. Thus, the Biodegradable Paper Soup Cup came into being. Today, we will talk about the seven most representative biodegradable plastics.

1. Polylactic acid PLA

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a new type of biodegradable material, made from starch raw materials proposed by renewable plant resources (such as corn). It has good biodegradability and can be completely degraded by microorganisms in nature after use, and finally carbon dioxide and water are generated without polluting the environment. This is very beneficial to environmental protection and is recognized as an environmentally friendly material. It is understood that PLA consumption accounts for 45.1% of biodegradable plastics, and it is a well-deserved main force.

The degradation of polylactic acid is divided into two stages: 1) The first is pure chemical hydrolysis to lactic acid monomer; 2) The lactic acid monomer is degraded into carbon dioxide and water under the action of microorganisms. The food cup made of polylactic acid can be completely degraded in only 60 days, which truly achieves the dual effects of ecology and economy.

PLA is mainly used for food packaging and 3D printing, which everyone is most concerned about. The largest manufacturer of PLA is NatureWorks of the United States, followed by Hisun Biotechnology in China.

2. Poly 3-hydroxyalkanoate PHA

PHA is an aliphatic copolyester with different structures synthesized by microorganisms through fermentation of various carbon sources. Among the most common are poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV) and a copolymer of PHB and PHV (PHBV).

The main uses are: disposable tableware, non-woven fabrics, packaging materials, agricultural film, toys, film, glue, fiber and other degradable products.

Three, polyε-caprolactone PCL

Polyε-caprolactone (PCL) is a low-melting polymer obtained by ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone, and its melting point is only 62°C. The degradability of PCL has been studied since 1976. In both anaerobic and aerobic environment, PCL can be completely decomposed by microorganisms.

Compared with PLA, PCL has better hydrophobicity, but the degradation rate is slower; at the same time, its synthesis process is simple and the cost is lower. PCL has excellent processing properties and can be made into films and other products with ordinary plastic processing equipment.

Biodegradable Paper Soup Cup

Four, polyester class--PBS/PBSA

PBS uses aliphatic succinic acid and butanediol as the main raw materials for production. It can not only meet the demand through petrochemical products, but also can be produced through biological fermentation through the production of natural renewable crop products such as starch, cellulose, and glucose. Green cycle production from nature and returning to nature. Moreover, the raw materials produced by the biological fermentation process can also greatly reduce the cost of raw materials, thereby further reducing the cost of PBS.

Compared with similar products, the advantages of polyester biodegradable plastic:

1) Good heat resistance. This promotes its promotion in the catering industry;

2) The processing conditions are not demanding;

3) Easy to store, resistant to hydrolysis.

Polybutylene succinate (PBS) is extremely versatile and can be used in packaging, tableware, cosmetic bottles and medicine bottles, disposable medical supplies, agricultural films, pesticides and fertilizers slow-release materials, biomedical polymer materials and other fields.

5. Aliphatic aromatic copolyester

The aliphatic aromatic random copolyester (Ecoflex) manufactured by BASF in Germany has monomers: adipic acid, terephthalic acid and 1,4-butanediol. The current production capacity is 140,000 tons/year. At the same time, biodegradable plastic products based on polyester and starch have been developed.

6. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)

Water-soluble PVA film is a new type of plastic product that has emerged internationally. It utilizes the film-forming properties, water and biological degradation properties of PVA, and can be completely degraded into CO2 and H2O. It is a veritable green high-tech environmental protection packaging material.

In Europe, America and Japan, water-soluble PVA film has been widely used in packaging of various products. In my country, the development of water-soluble PVA film is still in its infancy. Industrial R&D has only really started in the past five years, and it is mainly used in embroidery and water transfer printing (color printing of glass, ceramics, electrical housing, etc.). The annual use of PVA in this area is about 10,000t.

Seven, carbon dioxide copolymer

A new type of synthetic material under study. When carbon dioxide is used as the monomer raw material and activated to a high degree under the action of a bimetallic coordinated PBM type catalyst, it will undergo copolymerization with epoxide to produce aliphatic polycarbonate ( PPC), after post-processing, the carbon dioxide resin material is obtained.

Abroad, the earliest countries to study carbon dioxide copolymers were mainly Japan and the United States, but there has been no industrial production. Inner Mongolia Mengxi Group Corporation adopts the technology of Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry and has built a device with an annual output of 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide/epoxy compound copolymer resin. The products are mainly used in packaging and medical materials.

In addition, chitin, polyamide, polyaspartic acid, polysaccharide, cellulose, etc. are all under development.

Our company provides high-quality biodegradable coffee cups. If you are interested in our products, please feel free to contact us.

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