Development of degradable plastics

In 1997, the world market for degradable plastics is estimated to be about 20 million pounds, with sales of 23 million U.S. dollars; it is expected to increase by 35% by 2004. Degradable plastics in the U.S. and Japanese market include biodegradable polyesters such as polylactic acid, biodegradable PET, polybutylene succinate/hexanoate, polyhydroxybutyrate/valerate, and polyethylene succinate , Polyesteramides and polycaprolactones/mixtures; Starch and mixtures thereof; and other plastics added with additives that enhance degradability. The increase was due to the increase in the use of environmentally friendly plastics. Another reason was the reduction of production costs. By increasing production and economies of scale, manufacturers have reduced their prices. However, due to the high cost of degradable resins and the fact that existing plastics are firmly occupying their markets, biodegradable plastics have entered the market. Its development trend is as follows:

1. According to different uses and environmental conditions, to further deepen research, and through molecular design research to improve formulas and develop timely and controllable environmentally degradable plastics, it has become a key research topic in many countries.

2. Actively research and develop high-efficiency, low-cost photosensitizers, oxidants, biological inducers, degradation accelerators, stabilizers, etc., to further improve on-time controllability, rapid degradation after use, and complete degradability.

3. Accelerating the development of biodegradable plastics or ordinary plastics and starch, cellulose or inorganic materials filling and blending or alloying technology, as well as fully biodegradable plastics and natural materials coating lamination technology are hot spots.

4. Hydrolyzed plastics and edible plastics have attracted attention from the world due to their special functions and applications, which has become another hot spot for environmentally friendly materials.

5. To speed up the development of degradable plastics, countries are working to accelerate research and establish a unified definition of degradation plastics, degradation mechanisms, evaluation methods and standards.

6. Exploring and cultivating strains that can degrade ordinary plastics, so that common plastics that are widely used at present have easy degradability after use to adapt to environmental protection requirements. At the same time, it attaches great importance to the cultivation of biological plants that can produce polyester, so as to reduce the cost of biodegradable plastics, and is conducive to popularization and application.

Source: "China's environmental protection industry" Author: Yu Jin Shirasugi