Bio plastics: the “eco-friendly” way to save Earth

Bio plastics:  the “eco-friendly” way to save Earth

In today’s world, where everything is changing at a fast pace, words like “biodegradable”, “eco-friendly” and “green” are emerging to be the new mantra for saving our dying planet from the plight of accumulating heaps of waste and non-recyclable materials. These words are becoming the new statement today and are finding place in every package that we carry from; from a compostable coffee mug to a mineral water bottle that we drink water in. plastics are the most hazardous form of waste material that, in spite of their countless uses, have become the headache of scientists and environment experts around the world.
The most dangerous property of plastics is that they do not degrade easily in environment through natural and eco-friendly ways. The only way to decompose them is through large incinerators wherein plastics are burnt in a closed space in the presence of oxygen. But, the process liberates a large amount of lethal gases which not only pollutes the environment but is also fatal for living beings. In such cases, reusing it comes out to be the only prudent option. But the question is “to what extent”?  For what duration this cycle of use and reuse will continue? There will come a dead lock when its usage will have to be terminated and then what? Where would the pile collected over the years go? Viewing all these concerns, scientists around the world are trying to devise alternatives and ways to come up with something better and most important, bio-degradable.
Bio plastics are a new term in this field which meets with all the anomalies of traditional plastics. With its introduction, most of the dilemmas and concerns of environmentalists and activists around the world have been solved. But, the question that pops up is-what exactly are bio plastics?  Is it really safer to prefer bio plastics over plastics? Can bio plastics overtake the use of plastics on a massive scale? What are the pros and cons of using bio plastics?   
Unlike plastics that are petroleum derived, bio plastics are made up of PLA (poly lactic acid). PLA is derived from natural ingredients like corn and has been proved to be degraded in the presence of carbon dioxide and water in a “controlled degrading environment” in not more than 90 days. On the contrary, the traditional plastic takes about 1,000 to 5,000 years to fully decompose which is quite a high and discomforting number for living beings.
    

                                                                          Fig 1
But, is this lone fact enough to encourage the use of bio plastics? What about other economic and social factors associated with their production? Are there no harmful results associated with their use? These are some questions answers to which have yet to be found and elaborated. However, one fact is clear that bio plastics are here to stay. 

Credits: Article Contributed by- Soumya Jain
Image Source- Google Image

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