Dutch biochemical company develops plant-made plastic bottles that can be biodegraded within one year
2020-07-24
2020-07-24
A biochemical company in the Netherlands has developed a plastic bottle made of plant raw materials, which can not only be recycled after use, but can also be decomposed by itself within a year.
The beige bottle is embossed with the green beer product logo. Don't think this is just a normal plastic bottle. In fact, this is a plastic bottle made of plant materials developed by the Dutch Biochemical Company.
Gurut, the technical director of the Dutch Biochemical Company, said: "And because from the perspective of the isolation film, PEF (biopolyester plastic) performance is really good, because the advantage of paper bottles comes from paper manufacturing, and only a thin layer is needed. PEF can achieve barrier (liquid) performance, and the contents can be properly stored for a period of time."
This kind of vegetable plastic is made of corn, wheat, and beetroot. It can be used to contain bubble-type beverages, which can greatly reduce plastic pollution and the market's dependence on fossil fuels.
Experiments of putting the bottle in fresh water, salt water, soil and sediment have proved that this plastic can be completely decomposed within one year after being composted. Even if it is placed outdoors, it can be decomposed within a few years.
Dr. Jerka, a researcher at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, said: “We need bio-based plastics with high performance or recyclables that can reduce the production of carbon dioxide. Once this plastic enters the ocean or the environment, it will continue and rapidly biodegrade.”
The biochemical company believes that these bottles can be recycled and reused, so it has won the support of the Coca-Cola Company of the United States and the Danish beer manufacturer Carlsberg to continue its development.
Dr. Jacka said: "In the next few months, we will study the addition of so-called enzyme components to bio-based plastics. As long as you continue to use it, it will remain in the plastic. Once the plastic enters the environment or seawater, the enzyme The ingredients will gradually unfold, and then they will begin to effectively swallow the plastic and decompose it.”
Due to the production cost of plant plastics, the biochemical company understood that it would not have a market advantage in price at the beginning, so it is expected to produce 5,000 metric tons per year. It is expected that it will cooperate with beverage companies to put the products on the shelves before 2023.
In addition to this plant-based plastic bottle, the well-known whiskey brand "John Walk" is also expected to release a "paper-made black label bottle" that does not contain any plastic ingredients in 2021. This paper wine bottle is made of decomposable resin, environmentally friendly pulp, and aluminum caps. All the bottles can be recycled. By then, this will be the world's first environmentally friendly alcoholic beverage bottle.
Source: Public Television
News Date: 2020/07/21