Biodegradable plastic

BIODEGRADABLE

PLASTIC

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Nowadays, with the population's lack of awareness, several rivers are full of garbage, which ends up contaminating rivers and thus harming fishing, since garbage ends up killing fish in the rivers, so we have to think of a solution to avoid as much as possible that garbage remains in the rivers. Some people even clean the rivers, but even so, we need a faster solution, as plastic made from “oil” takes over 200 years to decompose. The company PHB Industrial brings a solution to this problem, it produces Biocycle, a biodegradable plastic made with sugar, on a pilot scale. Despite mastering the technology to manufacture several products with the polymer and to make its cost competitive when compared to conventional plastic, the company has not yet managed to increase its production to an industrial scale. The shortest way to bring Biocycle to market would be a partnership with the petrochemical industry, but they were not interested in the partnership. When we talk about the environment, we have to leave competition aside, it's not just a matter of money, it's a

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matter of health, something that even money can't buy. Entrepreneurs in the petrochemical sector need to understand that we must do something to improve our quality of life, and for that, we have to invest more in plastics made from sugarcane or other raw materials that decompose quickly . Through a partnership with the Institute of Technological Research (IPT) and the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB) of the University of São Paulo (USP), Copersucar managed to produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a polymer from the polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) family ) with physical and mechanical characteristics similar to those of synthetic resins such as polypropylene using only sugar fermented by natural bacteria of the alkali genus. In 1994, a pilot plant was installed at Usina da Pedra, in Ribeirão Preto, SP. In 2000, PHB Industrial was created and the technology belonged to the Grupo Pedra Agroindustrial, from Serrana, and Grupo Balbo, from Sertãozinho/SP. With support from FAPESP through the FAPESP

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Innovative Research in Small Businesses Program (PIPE) and with the help of researchers from the Federal University of São Carlos (UFScar), the company developed the technology for the production of pellets, small cylindrical pellets made with a mixture of PHB and natural fibers, a raw material used by the manufacturing industry to produce plastic utensils. The technique of mixing PHB with vegetable fibers did not bring any cost reduction advantage. While a kilo of polypropylene costs around US$ 2, a kilo of PHB costs around US$ 5, thus making it difficult to sell the product. PHB is a hard material that can be used in the manufacture of injected and thermoformed parts, such as bottle caps, pens, toys and food or cosmetic jars. It can also be applied in the extrusion of sheets and fibers to serve the automotive industry. It is still used for production foams that replace styrofoam, which in this case is little recycled, since styrofoam is light and ends up not being much sought after by recyclable material collectors and not even junkyard owners are interested in buying them, showing even more the importance of

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investing in the production of materials made from sugar derivatives. While in Brazil the market for PHB is restricted to niches interested in manufacturing products with ecological appeal at a higher price, in Europe the search for biodegradable products is great. In Europe, hydroponic agriculture is strong and environmental legislation is strict. A lot of biodegradable material is used in greenhouses. With PHB, it is possible to manufacture clamps for plants or tubes for reforestation and then send the plastic waste to composting stations, where it is quickly absorbed by nature. While traditional plastics take over a hundred years to degrade, products made with PHB decompose in around 12 months and release only water and carbon dioxide.

In addition to agriculture, the material can be used in the manufacture of packaging for food, cosmetics and other oily products that are difficult to recycle.