saka
Tue, 24/09/2024 – 12:28
Compostable bioplastics: definitely a step forward from a bag that will last decades…
BIOFAST is a research project working on bioplastics (made from renewable raw materials rather than oil). They aimed to make bioplastics degrade more quickly in composting environments – and they succeeded.
It was coordinated by AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, working with the Materials Technology and Sustainability (MATS) Research Group in the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of Valencia’s School of Engineering, and the company Prime Biopolymers.
The project cut the time taken to perform biodegradation tests on bioplastics. In the long run, that will be great for consumers, but it also has advantages during the development phase. After all, if you can run tests quickly you can save time and money.
The process involved input from each of the partners. The MATS Research Group applied a series of abiotic pretreatment technologies to biopolymeric materials. Prime Biopolymers prepared several compositions of compostable biopolymeric materials. AIMPLAS analysed factors that significantly affect the biodegradation process to develop a strategy to speed up the process based on increasing the potential of the biotic and abiotic components involved in composting. The procedure is described in more detail in their press release.
Put together, these components optimised the end-of-life assessment conditions of compostable bioplastics. A great step towards circular plastics!
