Lisa Boudeman Plastics Paper 14 February 2012

One Conventional Plastic Alternative: Biologically-Based Plastics Biologically-based bags, plastics made from plant products, provide one sustainable alternative to conventional plastic carrier bags. Whereas conventional plastic production directly consumes non-renewable fossil fuels, bio-plastic production uses renewable inputs such as carbon dioxide, sunlight, nutrients, and water. Once disposed, conventional plastic polymers resist degradation and persist in the environment for hundreds of years (Ewoldt, 2008). In contrast, bioplastics break down naturally in the environment when exposed to sun and air through a process called biodegradation. In this process, soil organisms digest the complex bio-plastic compounds into simple sugars, organic compounds, nutrients, and carbon dioxide for reuse in the environment (Demirbas, 2007). To fully assess the benefits and costs of the bio-plastics and conventional plastic life cycle, inputs and waste products for each step of production and disposal must be considered through a process called life cycle analysis (Khoo and Tan, (a) 2010). Biodegradable plastics can be produced via two methods. In the first, incubated microbes use sugar, water, and salt to synthesize a raw polymer product. This compound then undergoes extensive processing under high temperatures and pressures to purify the raw product into a usable polymer product called poly-B-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB). Maintaining sterilization, high temperatures, and pressures in the purification process requires a large amount of steam, electricity, and natural gas; in turn, the production of each kg of PHB uses 42.9 MJ of energy. Despite the seemingly high energy demand for PHB processing, PHB requires about one-third less energy than the 59 MJ/kg required for polypropylene (a commonly used conventional plastic) production, yet creates a biodegradable product with plastic-quality strength (Harding et al., 2007). In the second bio-plastic production method, polymers are synthesized from renewable resourcesmost commonly, corn. Bio-plastic production begins with the growth and harvesting of corn, wet milling to produce glucose, and finally, fermentation of glucose to produce

Lisa Boudeman Plastics Paper 14 February 2012

polyhyroxyalkanoate (PHA). Overall, 4.86 kg of raw corn input must be grown to produce 1 kg of PHA. After evaluating the energy requirements for each step of the production process including fertilizer inputs, farm equipment operation, pesticide production, wet milling processing, and the final incubated fermentation process, each kg of PHA produced requires about 81 MJ energy input whereas a kg of polypropylene requires about 59 MJ energy input per kg product. As with PHB, the final PHA product mimics polypropylene in strength and toughness, making it a suitable plastic alternative. Along with the higher energy inputs, environmental impacts from the atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the products life cycle must also be considered. In PHAs production, corn growth removes CO2 from the atmosphere (one of the lead GHG of concern), but, with the typical U.S. energy mix (49% coal, 20% natural gas, ~31% low emission), this removal only accounts for a small fraction of the total GHG emissions produced in the remaining steps of bio-plastic production (mainly the fermentation step). In this scenario, polypropylene production emits approximately one-third the amount of GHG emissions as PHA production. If instead, natural gas or geothermal energy can be utilized in the fermentation process, GHG emissions for PHA production will be negligible, and environmental benefits would surmount the costs in this process (Khoo and Tan, (a) 2010). To complete the life-cycle analysis, disposal scenarios for both bio-plastics and conventional plastics must be considered. In the United States, out of the 90 billion plastic bags disposed of each year, less than one-percent is recycled (Ewoldt, 2008). Primary current disposal methods of both bio-plastics and traditional plastics include incineration, landfill disposal, or haphazard disposal on the landscape. Bio-plastics can also complete a full-circle life cycle through organized composting. If composted, about one-third of the composted bio-plastics product can be used as a peat substitute (an soil amendment) and the remaining material is recycled back into the environment. Due to bioplastic rapid biodegradation, these materials beneficially pose little threat to ecosystems when

Lisa Boudeman Plastics Paper 14 February 2012

littered across the landscape. In contrast, conventional plastic litter resists degradation, accumulates in the environment, and threatens many ecosystems. Under other end-of-life options, incineration of either of these products can generate energy, but conventional plastics incineration generates about twice the amount of GHG as bio-plastics incineration. Bio-plastics and conventional plastics require the same amount of energy and space when landfilled; however, this end-of-life scenario for bio-plastics inhibits biodegradation of bio-plastics by 50% due to the lack of oxygen for microbial decomposition (Khoo and Tan, (b) 2010). Biologically based plastic bags offer great potential as an alternative to conventional plastic bags. The conventional plastic bag generally has a linear life cycle: plastics are produced by nonrenewable fossil fuels and are usually disposed of in landfills, incinerators, or scattered across the landscape. In contrast, bio-based bags have a continuous life-cycle: compounds are produced from renewable energy sources and, upon disposal, readily biodegrade for reuse in the environment. Bioplastics created by natural microbial polymer formation (PHB) requires one-third less energy than conventional plastic production, yet high water requirements (65dm3/kg) and capital start-up costs may challenge PHB production implementation (Khoo and Tan, (a) 2010). Bio-plastics created by polymer synthesis with renewable crops (PHA) require about one-third more energy across the life cycle than conventional plastics, but would be considered sustainable if production utilizes renewable or low emitting energy sources such as wind, geothermal, or natural gas. Most significantly, bio-plastics biodegrade when exposed to air, providing an opportunity to preserve valuable landfill space, recycle nutrients into the environment, and prevent plastic accumulation that poses an increasing risk to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems around the world.

Lisa Boudeman Plastics Paper 14 February 2012

References Demirbas, A. Biodegradable Plastics from Renewable Resources. Energy Sources, Part A. (2007) 29: 419-424. Ewoldt, John. Biodegradable bags may not be as green as they seem: The paper-or-plastic dilemma is changing, but a solution isnt quite in reach. Star Tribune. [Minneapolis, MN]. 13 Apr. 2008: 1A. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. Harding, K.G., J.S. Dennis, H. von Blottnitz, S.T.L. Harrison. Environmental analysis of plastic production processes: Comparing petroleum-based polypropylene and polyethylene with biologically-based poly--hydroybutyric acid using life cycle analysis. Journal of Biotechnology. (2007) 130: 57-66. Khoo, Hsien Hui. Reginald B. H. Tan. (a) Environmental impacts of conventional plastic and biobased carrier bags. Part 1: Life cycle production International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. (2010) 15: 284-293. Khoo, Hsien Hui. Reginald B. H. Tan. (b) Environmental impacts of conventional plastic and biobased carrier bags. Part 2: end-of-life options. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. (2010) 15: 338-345.