What are biodegradable bags made of?
The active use of plastic bags in everyday life has led to the accumulation of an impressive amount of inorganic waste in landfills. And if only in landfills! A lot of them are scattered on the territories of squares, parks, reservoirs, along roads and railway lines - in a word, everywhere. A debris shaft of packaging plastic and bags threatens to cover the entire planet.
biodegradable bagsEnvironmental hazard of recycling plastic bags
The fate of plastic packaging is well known - its short life span and centuries of recycling. The period of natural decomposition of plastic polymers is really very long - up to 200 years or more, which means that such waste tends to accumulate, while releasing toxic substances.
Special studies have shown that the decomposition of plastic is one of the reasons for the pollution of the planet and is fraught with danger for all living things. The environment in contact with plastic waste becomes contaminated with released chemical reagents. Bacteria capable of processing all this polyethylene abundance do not exist in nature.
Disposal of plastic waste by incineration causes great harm to the environment, because when it burns, highly toxic compounds are released into the air that destroy the ozone layer, have a negative effect on the human immune system, and cause cancer and hormonal diseases.
Recycling - Recycling is a greener recycling process, but it is labor intensive and economical and does not completely solve the problem. After several stages of recycling, the choice will again have to be made between incineration and disposal of the residues. This dangerous situation causes concern among environmentalists around the world.
Is there a constructive solution to the problem that will allow, without abandoning the multi-purpose packaging, to cope with the issues of ecology and environmental protection?
Eco-friendly approach - biodegradable bags
In order not to turn our planet into a huge dump of plastic waste, there is a need to switch to the use of new safe technologies for the production of plastic bags. The most effective means in this regard is the production of films from biodegradable materials, more precisely biopolymers.
The new environmentally friendly packaging is distinguished by the ability to decompose in a short time under the influence of the environment - water, air, temperature, ultraviolet radiation. As a result of decomposition, low molecular weight compounds are formed, which are then processed by microorganisms.
Currently, there are 2 main methods for obtaining biodegradable materials, as a result of which two types of bio-packages are obtained, differing in production technology.
Hydro-biodegradable bags, in the manufacture of which ordinary starch and polyesters of glycolic, nylon, lactic, valeric and other acids are used. The technology for the production of such packages requires fundamentally new technological lines, which leads to an increase in the cost of the finished product, making it unprofitable for many manufacturers. The decomposition period of such bags is much shorter than usual, but their strength is low. The maximum weight they can carry is only 1 kg.
Oxo-biodegradable bags are made with the addition of a special solution of modified substances to the raw material, which accelerates the decomposition of the polymer. Modified additives catalyze the process of destruction of carbon bonds in polymer molecules. The content of bioadditives in the polymer base does not exceed 1%, the compound is environmentally friendly, which is confirmed by numerous studies of well-known world laboratories. The bags have a normal appearance and good strength, their production is a relatively simple technology that does not significantly affect the cost of products.
Packages made with a special bioadditive - degradant decompose within 1.5 years and turn into organic substances, which are then destroyed by microorganisms. Decomposition products are not hazardous to the environment.
The production of biodegradable plastic bags is a real opportunity to make the world around us cleaner. Such products are already widely presented on store shelves, the next step is for us, for customers.