This reading was particularly interesting to me because I’ve read about bioenergy as an alternative to nonrenewable energy, and have always wondered if the same could be done to oil’s byproducts. The article introduces Bio-based plastics, which are plastics made from biomass sources. I believe that they should go as far as labeling it to be the new replacement for traditional plastics. In comparison to petroleum, the source of plastics, potatoes, and maize is so much more available, which is an advantage of pursuing bio-based plastics. In addition, the process behind creating them requires less energy, which benefits the community and contributes to sustainability. It takes as much as 20%-30% less energy to produce a material that has the same properties as petroleum-derived plastics. Not only that, bio-plastics are either compostable which isn’t the case for most plastics used in our everyday lives. This renewable breakout plastic source should be widely spoken about, as it clearly outweighs the benefits petroleum plastics offer. These methods succeeded in creating Thermoplastic starch cutlery, a material that is very moldable and durable and can be used to create cast films, cutlery, woven textiles, and surgery gloves which are needed more than ever during the pandemic. This was not the only innovation as starch-based biodegradable packaging, used as a loose filling package, rapidly breaks and can dissolve in water in around 15 minutes. I believe that bacterial fermentation should be explored, and more bioplastic production facilities should be created because Bio-plastics can comfortably replace petroleum plastics.
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