By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 8th,2010 I love learning more about bioplastics by watching other people’s explanations on the materials and their value. BASF has released a video advertising their ecoflex material. The video is German subtitled in English. I have quoted the video below for those who don’t have the patience to watch the clip. The scientist at BASF has several points about how biodegradable can fill certain needs of plastics,but for some items more durable materials may be needed. Worth the watch,although I’m quite sure that the European infrastructure is much more biodegradable polymer friendly. When scientists refer to plastics . . . →Read More:A video by BASF –Using Biodegradable Plastics Intelligently By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 7th,2010 Microstructures made from designer proteinsBASF –The Chemical Company An important family of bioplastics and one that is often unfortunately synonymous in the mind of the general public is biodegradable plastic. But what is meant by biodegradable? Merriam Webster dictionary defines biodegradable as follows capable of being broken down especially into innocuous products by the action of living things (as microorganisms) But being biodegradable means much more than simply being broken down. A plastic can be degraded to pieces smaller than grains of sand and still be polymer chains. . . . →Read More:Terminology – Biodegradation By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 6th,2010  If you are already a bioplastic insider,you have certainly seen the recent articles around the web about the expected growth of bioplastics through 2015. It’s exciting news,not only for those of us interested in the plastics industry but also for people who are environmentally conscious. The according to the BCC Research Report titled:Bioplastics:Technologies and Global Markets published in September 2010 the usage of bioplastics is expected to grow at a 41% annual growth rate through 2015. This means a growth from 571,712 metric tons in 2010 to 3,230,660 metric tons in 2015. The graph in . . . →Read More:The Booming Bioplastic Industry By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 5th,2010 When new acquaintances find out that I’m interest in bioplastics and their applications,I’m often asked about what I think of the Sunchips bag. While I think the innovation is fantastic and a step in the right direction,I guess too many consumers did not appreciate the change. In exchange for being compostable in a backyard setting,the PLA bags were loud. Far too loud for some consumers. I was told by one friend that he couldn’t eat them anymore because he couldn’t sneak them after dinner. The crinkling sound alerted the whole household that he was cheating on . . . →Read More:Sunchips to Ditch Noisy Bags By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 3rd,2010 Have an interest in making a non-petroleum based plastic for fun? Have a pre-teen looking for a science fair project? Perhaps you are a science teacher and want to wow the few students who care in your classroom? There are several recipes online to make bioplastic in your own home. Source:Kabelfresser,on Flickr Before we begin,please realize that there is a reason companies spend millions on material research. You are not going to be making patio furniture out of what comes off your stove. In fact you probably wont get much else than a . . . →Read More:Do It Yourself Bioplastics Experiment By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 2nd,2010  Recycling bins are available in more and more locations. However there is no standard signs for recycling. Every time an individual encounters a recycling bin they must first recognize that it is a location for recycling and then determine what can be recycled at that location. This may cause confusion that leads to a reduced recycling rate. As reported on Treehugger yesterday,Recycle Across America is trying to encourage standardized labeling for recycling. They hope that by providing standard labels an increase in consistency will be seen in schools,malls,workplaces,public buildings and homes. Free PDFs are . . . →Read More:Standardized Recycling Signs to Reduce Confusion By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on October 1st,2010 Bioplastics are often used to describe plastics that are biodegradable,but there are other requirements. The book Green Plastics by E.S. Stevens defines bioplastics as follows: “Bioplastics is a concise –and suitable –name for biodegradable plastics whose components are derived entirely or almost entirely from renewable raw materials. A bioplastic contains one or more biopolymeric substances as an essential substance. -E.S. Stevens 2002 Bioplastics may include a combination of biopolymer(s),plastizer(s) and other additive(s). Since this book was written 8 years has elapsed and the definition of bioplastic has evolved and shifted slightly. . . . →Read More:Terminology –Bioplastics By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on September 30th,2010  I was on the Treehugger site recently and noticed an article entitled Free Book:Design for Reusability. I thought,fantastic,we need to educate engineers on designing for products for reuse. But the book is for architects. If “greener”architecture interests you you can download the book at Design for Reuse:Public architecture. If architects are beginning to focus on designing products that do not come from raw materials shouldn’t mechanical and plastic designers? Buildings last a great deal longer than most of our commodity materials. The problem with design for reuse is the inherent problem with durability . . . →Read More:Design for Reusability By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on September 29th,2010 The world of plastics has recently been abuzz with plastics from renewable resources. There are companies working on corn,sugar cane,keratin,and even kiwi fruit based plastics. These plastics help alleviate some use of petroleum in the production industry. Bacteria –Caroline Davis2010 These plastics come from plant based sources and by-product of food production. But are there even more avenues to explore. OPX Biotechnologies,a start up in Boulder,Colorado,is using bacteria to produce chemicals that usually come from the petroleum stream. Using E. Coli bacteria,the company produces acrylic acid from sugar. This . . . →Read More:Bacteria based plastic? By Miriam Wilcox-Barsalou,on September 27th,2010 As the environmentally conscious trend continues,and companies begin to want to jump on board,it may be valuable for engineers to seek additional professional training in bioplastics. Short Courses Bioplastics Short Course at University of Wisconsin –Madison Oct 18-19,2010 University of Winsconsin –Madison Topics that will be covered include Facts,Claims &Hype of Biodegradable Materials CO2 Footprint &Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) Product Design &Biobased Value Proposition Offered in the past: Green Plastics Manufacturing:Introduction to Plastics,Elastomers and Additives from Renewable Resources University of Massachusetts –Lowell Topics covered: Historical perspective and . . . →Read More:Learn More about Bioplastics | CreditsBlog design elements by Kate HadfieldUsed as non-profit generating blog TOU |
