Petroleum-based compostable polymers

Synthetic aUphatic polyesters can be created to produce many different types of compostable products for packaging, film, and disposable service-aware applications that biodegrade under industrial composting conditions (Kint and Munoz-Guerra 1999). 

The majority of petroleum-based compostable plastics belong to the polyester family, including Ecoflex , polycaprolactone (PCL), Ecovio , poly-butyrate adipate terephthalate (PBAT), and aliphatic copolyesters (The Impacts of Degradable Plastic Bags in Australia 2003). Table 4.14 lists several commercially available biodegradable or compostable plastic products. 

Ecoflex is an aromatic-aliphatic copolyester that is produced from petroleum-based products, for example, terephthalic acid, adipic acid, and 1,4-butanediol. The compostable plastic is an excellent biodegradable material for blown film and sheet products, for example, grocery bags, lawn and leaf bags, agricultural mulch films. 

Ecoflex can be used to produce blown film applications such as packaging films, agricultural films, hygienic films, and organic waste bags. Ecoflex has similar film properties to an LDPE. Ecoflex is classified as compostable, which is biodegradable under industrial 

Commercially Available Biodegradable and Compostable Petroleum-based Polymers 

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Most of the plastics and synthetic polymers that are used worldwide are produced from petrochemicals. Replacing petroleum-based feedstocks with materials derived from renewable resources is an attractive prospect for manufacturers of polymers and plastics, since the production of such polymers does not depend on the limited supply of fossil fuels [16]. Furthermore, synthetic materials are very persistent in the environment long after their intended use, and as a result their total volume in landfills is giving rise to serious waste management problems. In 1992,20% of the volume and 8% of the weight of landfills in the US were plastic materials, while the annual disposal of plastics both in the US and EC has risen to over 10 million tons [17]. Because of the biodegradability of PHAs, they would be mostly composted and as such would be very valuable in reducing the amount of plastic waste. 

Poly(lactic acid) (PL A) is a renewable resource-based bioplastic with many advantages, compared to other synthetic polymers. PL A is eco-friendly, because, apart from being derived from renewable resources such as corn, wheat, or rice, it is recyclable and compostable [1, 2]. PLA is biocompatible, as it has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for direct contact with biological fluids [3] and has better thermal processability compared to other biopolymers such as poly(hydroxy alkanoate)s (PHAs), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), or poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) [4]. Moreover, PLA requires 25-55% less energy to be produced than petroleum-based polymers, and estimations show that this can be further reduced by 10% [5]. 

Hybrid materials, containing biodegradable, but nonrenewable, petroleum-based polymers combined with renewable biopolymers (mainly starch), constitute an environmental compromise, but hybrids provide improved physical properties relative to the biopolymers alone they are biodegradable and, in many cases, they are compostable. Hybrids satisfy many of the growing environmental concerns of the major industrialized regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. 

Recently, biogradable and renewably derived polymers have attracted much attention due to the environmental concerns and sustainability issues associated with petroleum-based polymers. Such a polymer is poly (lactic acid) (PLA), a biodegradable and bioabsorbable, renewably derived thermoplastic polyester extensively investigated over the lastest several decades. PLA is a compostable polymer derived from renewable sources. 

The production of durable functional products without using petroleum based raw materials is a focus of much academic research today but it is also prioritized by many industries. Many questions still remain concerning the use, production and properties of biobased and/or degradable polymers and whether or not they are more environmentally friendly than oil-based products. Polylactide is a bio-based compostable thermoplastic that is considered as one of the most promising materials for replacement of traditional volume plastics. The properties of polylactide can be tuned to... 

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