From bio-based building blocks to agricultural use: Biodegradable plastic innovations
Have you ever stopped to wonder what plastic is truly made of? And how can we transition to a more sustainable material? In this article, we will cover what biodegradable plastic is made of, and what can we use it for in agriculture.
ReBIOlution uses cutting-edge research to find appropriate and sustainable ways to make these products. One of our focus points is producing biodegradable and sustainable polyester. You might be thinking of clothing when you read that word, but polyester makes up many products. From plastic bottles to packaging, electronics, car parts, and, of course, clothing. Polyester is a versatile material. And as the name implies, it is made of many esters.
Green building blocks for polyester
Good news. Polyester’s building blocks can be made from two common molecules, diacids and diols. And both are found in plants. The first, diacids, usually come from fat metabolism. The second, diols, come from carbohydrates. When you mix them, they join to form the individual elements of polyester. In large quantities (the “poly” in “polyester”), they polymerise and form the plastic polyester in a way that can be used for materials.
A diacid with great properties that ReBIOlution is backing for polyester production is FDCA (2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid). With a diol such as ethylene glycol, the resulting polyester, PEF, can replace PET plastics in plastic water bottles and other drinks, food packaging, and more. PEF plastics show better properties than PET, the classic plastic bottle material, and is easier to recycle. With FDCA we can also make biodegradable plastics
Shades of green: challenges in sustainable production
So we can get diols and diacids from plants to make polyester. Sustainability projects started using corn, wheat, and beets to extract and produce these molecules and make polyester. But that is not as sustainable as you may think. Yes, it is better than fossil fuels. But wheat, corn, and beets are also used for biofuel production. For food. For animal feed. If we use them for polyester synthesis, we rely on more crops and agriculture.
An even more sustainable way is to find these products in agricultural waste. For example, in the parts of plants that are not food, in treated waste, or in less intensive crops, like switchgrass or even algae. Innovation is driving the production of sustainable polyester towards using materials and waste we already produce but have no other use for.
All this is why ReBIOlution wants to use FDCA, as it can be obtained from non-food plant biomass.
Impact of biodegradable plastic in agriculture
Having biodegradable plastics is of extreme importance in agriculture. This is because agriculture is undergoing a digital revolution. Smarter, more monitored setups allow higher crop yields. This often involves plastic, in things like plastic mulch, greenhouse covers, tubing, plastic-covered sensors and digital tools, and even fertiliser packaging. In fact, the term “plasticulture” has been coined to name this type of agriculture with heavy plastic use.
And what happens to these plastics? Many cannot be recycled nor recovered, and spend years in contact with the soil, polluting it with microplastics. Because of that, we must find a biodegradable and less contaminating solution.
The good news is that scientific initiatives are doing just that. Plant protein microcapsules are a new development for fertiliser storage and slow release into the soil. Triboelectric nanogenerators made of biodegradable materials can be used to power small-scale decentralized electronics in fields. And plastic mulch of biodegradable materials is being developed in larger quantities, a goal that ReBIOlution contributes towards.
A true circular plastic cycle
It is because of all this that we are working to find suitable alternatives to make biodegradable plastics for agriculture. What better way to take care of our Earth than to make the plastics that come in contact with soil with the very things that grow on it? Plants, and not fossil fuels, especially the parts of plants that we currently consider waste, are the right materials for this.
And don’t think that only sustainable projects are involved. The economic impact of bioplastics is only increasing. Current forecasts indicate that by 2029, the biodegradable plastic market can reach $33 billion. The saying goes like this: “put your money where your mouth is”. And food is in everyone’s mouth, so let’s make sure we invest in greener technology for our future and food production.