Biobased plastic: A plausible solution to carbon neutrality in plastic industry

Biobased plastic combined with plastic recycling could be a plausible solution for achieving carbon neutrality by plastic industry. Herein we use production data, emission factors, and future plastic demands (2021-2060) to build a model, evaluating carbon neutrality under five scenarios. Our simulation indicates that carbon neutrality can be achieved by 2060 when biobased plastics takes 90% of plastic production with near 50% of recycling ratio. The amount of carbon captured through photosynthesis surpasses that of carbon released through plastic life cycle. Recycling reduces virgin plastic production, which is the primary carbon source. A one-fold increase in the use of recycled plastics could lead to a three-fold reduction of virgin plastic production. Existing plastics stored 6.82 giga tons of carbon (GtC) in 2020, serving as an artificial carbon reservoir never recognized before. This carbon reservoir will expand to 23.0 and 27.4 GtC under 22% and 50% recycling scenarios, respectively, by 2060.

The Sustainability of Plastic Nets in Agriculture

This review article contributes new knowledge relating to the sustainability of antihail, anti-insect, and windbreak plastic nets in agriculture. Based on the review, biobased plastic nets made from polyamino acids, polysaccharide derivatives (DS), polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), polycaprolactone (PCL), polyhydroxylalkanoate (PHA), and polylactic acid (PLA) are shown to be highly biodegradable compared to conventional plastics such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene (PE), and polyvinyl chloride. The biodegradability of these materials is due to the use of natural precursors. However, nonbiodegradable plastics are the materials of choice in agricultural applications for the following reasons. Global commercial production of biobased plastics is low (~1%) due to the absence of facile and scalable production methods. Even though biobased materials are ecologically benign, they are limited in agricultural settings, given the low tensile strength and disruption of the activities of natural insect predators such as spiders. The enhancement of the material properties of biobased plastics involves a trade-off with sustainability. Chemical additives such as heavy metals and volatile compounds enhance the mechanical properties of biobased plastics but limit their sustainability. The current constraints on the production of biobased plastic nets can be resolved through electrospinning techniques that facilitate the development of plastic nets with controllable composition, porosity, and surface areas.