Corpus ID: 17892688

Eco-friendly Bioplastic for Uncontaminated Environment

@inproceedings{Maheshwari2013EcofriendlyBF,
  title={Eco-friendly Bioplastic for Uncontaminated Environment},
  author={Raaz K. Maheshwari and Bina Rani and Sangeeta Parihar and Anju H. Sharma},
  year={2013}
}

• Raaz K. Maheshwari, B. Rani, +1 author Anju H. Sharma
• Published 2013
• Materials Science

Plastics are manmade long chain polymeric molecules which are resistant against microbial attack and become part of parcel of today life. It turns out to be imperative component in agriculture as different plastics are used for various purposes namely plasticulture, polyhouses, mulches, packaging container, shrink film wrappers, etc. Plastics have replaced paper and cellulose-based products for packaging because of their strength, lightness, resistance to water and most water borne microorganism. Nowadays a wide variety of synthetic polymers are produced worldwide to the extent of ~140 million tonnes every year. Remarkable of these polymers are introduced in the ecosystem as industrial waste products every year. The dramatic increase in production and lack of biodegradability of commercial polymers, particularly commodity plastics used in packaging, industry and agriculture, focused public attention on a potentially huge environmental accumulation and pollution problem that could persist for centuries. Because of their persistence in our environment, several communities are now more sensitive to the impact of discarded plastic on the environment, including deleterious effects on wildlife and on the aesthetic qualities of cities and forests. In addition, the burning of polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastics produces persistent organic pollutants (POPs) known as furans and dioxins. In order to find alternatives, a new material has been developed known as bioplastic. Bioplastics are long chain of monomers joined with each other by ester bonds. These plastics are thus considered as polyesters. Bioplastics are classified into various types. The most common is PHA (Polyhydroxyalkonoate), which remains as a carbon and/or energy storage material in various microorganisms under the condition of deficient nutritional elements. There are a variety of bioplastic applications in the society and industries. This review paper is intended to provide information about alternatives to conventional plastics for the betterment of environment.