Bio-plastics are now eco-friendly!
Did you know that there is a threat of really fine plastic in our lives? Unknowingly, microplastics continue to be detected in our surroundings, and pieces of plastic that are less than 5mm in size are coming to us in the ocean where our indiscriminate discharges are ingested into plankton and depending on the food chain structure.
Therefore, many countries around the world are implementing various policies to solve the microplastics problem, and Korea is also trying to reduce the environmental problem even a little by strengthening waste treatment. The reason microplastics are a problem is environmental hormones.This is because plastic in our body affects hormones and poses a great threat to human health such as poor reproductive function, carcinogenesis, and disorders.
So, plastics that do not generate environmental hormones are being developed, which is called bioplastics, and are emerging as an alternative to plastics that have been used. It is plastic made through polymers in microorganisms and is made based on renewable raw materials. Of course, it is a new material that does not harm the human body and does not destroy the environment.
In addition, bioplastics are largely divided into biodegradable plastics and biobase plastics, which are completely decomposed by natural microorganisms, and biobase plastics can be recycled because they have existing plastic properties by lowering their biomass content to 20-25%. Each of the advantages and disadvantages is clearly evident because it is still under continuous development.
Plastic has brought us great convenience. But now, as the problems of plastic began to surface, bioplastics began to be developed to replace them, and the first to be made is an eco-friendly resin made from corn starch, which can be used more safely without environmental hormones, heavy metals, or harmful substances.
Bio-plastics are already emerging in our lives, and there are a wide range of areas being made, such as packaging materials and plastic bags, and over time, we expect to replace all plastics that have a huge amount of use. It still has the disadvantage of being weak in durability, but it is expected to show better performance because it is continuously being developed.
Plastic has brought us a great gift of comfort and development for mankind. Although it is a representative material of the 20th century, it is now a major cause of environmental pollution, so the location of bioplastics is increasing. If we reduce the use of indiscriminate disposable products or plastics and replace them one by one, we will be able to improve the environment.