A quick grab for the plastic shopping bag at the supermarket checkout. After all, it's made from bioplastics. Surely that's better for the environment, some people might think unsuspectingly. But bioplastic does not necessarily mean biodegradable. And bioplastic does not mean that it is only made from renewable materials. There are clear differences.
The term bioplastic covers three variations. The polymers used were produced from:
• fossil resources but are biodegradable
• renewable resources but are not biodegradable
• renewable resources and are biodegradable
So if customers want to consciously buy a biodegradable product when purchasing bioplastics, they need to take a closer look.
Why biodegradable plastic?
The non-biodegradable plastic currently in use is the main driver of the global microplastic problem. As bacteria cannot decompose the polymer chains, the plastic first breaks down into macroplastics, then into microplastics and finally into nanoplastics due to environmental influences. It is absorbed by plants and animals and ends up back with us via the food chain. The microscopic particles can also rise through condensation in clouds and eventually fall everywhere as rain. Researchers have already found microplastic particles on mountains and in Antarctic snow. Biodegradable plastic can prevent this backflow. The dissolving plastic particles can be broken down by bacteria into water, CO₂, biomass and minerals. No tiny particles remain.
But there is a catch. The bacteria that can break down biodegradable plastic are hardly ever found under normal conditions. In the oceans, for example, a large proportion of biodegradable plastic continues to degrade like conventional plastic. Even in composting plants, where the discarded organic waste usually ends up, the necessary bacteria are not found. The bioplastics have to be sorted out there and disposed of differently. Specialised waste recycling systems are needed to create the right conditions for the decomposition process - and these are currently still lacking. Without closed recycling loops for biodegradable plastic, buying a shopping bag made of biodegradable plastic unfortunately does not help as much as hoped. This is why the WWF, among others, is calling for closed loops for bioplastics. Although this would not solve the global plastic problem, it would be a good step in the right direction.
Aluminum-coated track-etched filters for microplastic analysis
To detect the type and quantity of microplastics in drinking water, food and other resources, we have developed our aluminum-coated polyester membranes i3 TrackPor PA and i3 TrackPor PAR. The microplastic particles that remain on the filter surface during filtration can be precisely detected in Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microscopy, RAMAN microscopy and LDIR microscopy thanks to the homogeneous and reflective aluminum coating. The membranes also remain stable in the liquid medium over a long filtration period.
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WWF: "Bioplastik", 2024-07-26
https://www.wwf.de/themen-projekte/landwirtschaft/bioenergie/bioplastik (Date: 2024-08-08)
Deutsche Umwelthilfe: "Bioplastik", n/a
https://www.duh.de/bioplastik/ (Date: 2024-08-08)
National Geographic; Laura Parker: "Microplastics have moved into virtually every crevice on Earth", 2020-08-07
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/microplastics-in-virtually-every-crevice-on-earth (Date: 2024-08-08)
BBC; Navin Singh Khadka: "Microplastics found in fresh Antarctic snow", 2022-06-09
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61739159 (Date: 2024-08-08)