1 - Bioplastics From Solid Waste

Abstract The global plastic production has reached 299 million tons per year, of which more than 95% is petroleum-based plastic. With the consideration of the environmental degradation caused by petroleum-based plastics and the depletion of fossil resources, there is an increasing interest driving the development of bioplastics, which offer numerous advantages over petroleum-based plastics, e.g., less greenhouse gas emission, biodegradation, and use of renewable substrates. This chapter discusses two types of the most common bioplastics, namely polyhydroxybutyrate and poly(lactic acid), with their histories, properties, synthesis, and current status on the commercial market and the low-cost waste materials that are identified for production.