Biodegradable Plastic


	All About Biodegradable Plastic

Bio-Film starch based biodegradable polymer is now commercially available in Australia for conversion into many applications in which conventional plastics are used. Items made from Bio-Film will fully biodegrade when purposely or accidentally disposed of into a biologically active environment like a compost heap, the soil, a lake, the sea or a sewage treatment plant.

Bio-Film is based on cornstarch, an annually renewable raw material, Bio-Film has similar properties to conventional thermoplastics and is processed using the same technologies. However, being starch based, all Bio-Film grades are completely biodegradable to carbon dioxide, water and carbon based humus. Unlike some systems which use additives, in conventional biodegradation of Bio-Film there is no polymer or toxic residue. Biodegradation of Bio-Film occurs when it is attacked by micro-organisms which exist in a biological activity in the environment. In a healthy compost heap, a bag made from Bio-Film will biodegrade in about 30 to 40 days with disintegration starting much sooner. Other grades when molded into a thicker item can take longer to biodegrade completely.

Bio-Film is now manufactured in Australia and the use of cornstarch based bags is expected to increase in coming years. This will help alleviate many of the problems caused by the use of plastic bags, such as littering and the entrapment of wildlife and marine creatures in discarded bags. There is already a project underway for the commercial production of cornstarch bags for the frozen bait industry.

For technical information about biodegradable plastics visit www.materbi.com ...