Bioplastic is a type of biodegradable plastic that is formed from renewable biomass resources such as vegetable oil and corn starch rather than from non-renewable resources such as petroleum.
The other example is called polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates are typically used for baby bottles, Sippy cups, water bottles, water gallons and metal food can liners.
However, a lot of countries have banned the use of this plastic material. The chemicals inside PC can be transferred into the food or beverages, which explains the reason behind the numerous health problems such as decreased sperm production in males, various behavioral changes, increased risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, and metabolic disorders.
AKA “The other plastic”
DIFFERENCES
Bioplastics are plastic materials produced from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, straw, woodchips, sawdust, recycled food waste, etc. Some bioplastics are obtained by processing directly from natural biopolymers including polysaccharides (e.g., starch, cellulose, chitosan, and alginate) and proteins (e.g., soy protein, gluten, and gelatin), while others are chemically synthesized from sugar derivatives (e.g., lactic acid) and lipids (oils and fats) from either plants or animals, or biologically generated by fermentation of sugars or lipids. In contrast, common plastics, such as fossil-fuel plastics (also called petro-based polymers) are derived from petroleum or natural gas.
One advantage of bioplastics is their independence from fossil fuel as a raw material, which is a finite and globally unevenly distributed resource linked to petroleum politics and environmental impacts. Life cycle analysis studies show that some bioplastics can be made with a lower carbon footprint than their fossil counterparts, for example when biomass is used as raw material and also for energy production. However, other bioplastics’ processes are less efficient and result in a higher carbon footprint than fossil plastics.
Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily worked, molded, and thermoformed. Because of these properties, polycarbonates find many applications. Polycarbonates do not have a unique resin identification code (RIC) and are identified as “Other”, 7 on the RIC list. Products made from polycarbonate can contain the precursor monomer bisphenol A (BPA)
SAFETY
The chemicals inside PC can be transferred into the food or beverages, which explains the reason behind the numerous health problems such as decreased sperm production in males, various behavioral changes, increased risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, and metabolic disorders.
Credits: Bioplastic – Wikipedia and Polycarbonate – Wikipedia and Get to Know the 7 Types of Plastic- Plastics 101 | by The Physics Society | Medium
