Bioplastics for the future

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Bio-plastics for the future

• Nicolas Alvarez
• Sean Martin
• Cassidy Williams

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What are we going to discuss?

• What are bio-plastics
• PHA and PLA
• How are they formed
• Environmental Effects
• Energy requirements comparisons
• Agricultural growth
• Crops
• Effect on Plastics Industry

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Why Bio-plastics?

• Renewable
• Potentially no dependence on fossil Fuels
• Environmentally friendly
• Biodegradable
• Bio-polymers combine several attributessuch as
  the heat seal of polystyrene, the dead fold of
  polypropylene and the twist retention of
  cellophaneinto a single plastic,
• Patrick Gruber
• VICE PRESIDENT DOW CARGILL

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What is PHA

• Poly(hydroxyalkanoates) PHA
• Batch process
• glucose
• Ralstonia eutropha (bacteria)
• Genetically engineered plants
• Ralstonia gene
• 1994 MonsantoTM successful genetically engineered
  corn to contain the gene
• drives the conversion of the acetyl-coenzyme A
  into PHA.
• In order to not compete with food demand the
  stalk of the corn was used for the site of
  conversion
• plastic is harvested from plant

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What is PLA

• Polylactide (PLA)
• Batch process only
• Glucose fermented into lactic acid
• An extra chemical step converts the
• lactic acid to plastic

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Environmental Effects

• Petrochemical Plastics (Polyolefins) vs.
  Bio-plastics
• Environmental concerns
• Energy required
• More than most polyolefins
• Greenhouse gas generation
• Consequently more

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Solutions

• Alternative energy
• The use of biomass
• Nuclear or hydroelectric energy
• Renewable resource
• The process will become more efficient in the
  future
• Biodegradable

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Agricultural Growth

• Corn production
• Multiple products from the same field
• Stalks
• Ear
• Research
• BP and Metabolix
• Switchgrass
• Cargill Dow
• Sugar Cane
• Sugar Beets

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Effects on Plastics Industry

• Challenges petrochemical plastics
• Resources are not limited
• Provide similar durability
• Marketability
• Bio-plastics will become more efficient and
  therefore cheaper
• Bio-plastics are a cleaner product for our
  environment
• Biodegradable
• Incineration

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What have we learned today?

• Where bio-plastics come from and how they are
  made
• Potential energy conservation and price
  variability over time
• Agricultural growth
• Overall effect on the plastics industry

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Questions?