Affiliation:
1. Central Institute of Petrochemical Engineering and Technology, India
Abstract
Plastics are one of the essential materials due to their low cost and properties. Plastics are used almost everywhere including food packaging, home appliance, agriculture, automobile, electrical insulators, medical instruments, etc. However, due to the low biodegradability of conventional plastics, they remain in the environment for a very long time and thus pose a serious threat to our environment. Getting rid of these plastics is very difficult. The burning of plastics produces harmful chemicals that negatively impact the environment (e.g., global warming) and human health. Plastic management via recycling is an incomplete measure to address the environmental impacts of plastic. Therefore, there is a demand for developing alternative plastic materials that will be more environmentally friendly. Bioplastics have attracted much attention as a potential replacement for conventional plastics. This chapter will focus on the development, properties, and applications of various bioplastics. The biodegradability of the bioplastics will also be discussed.