Degradable materials are mainly based on plastics, with the addition of photosensitizers, modified starch, biodegradable agents and other raw materials to reduce the stability of traditional plastics and accelerate their degradation rate in the natural environment, thereby reducing pollution to the natural environment. According to different degradation methods, it can be divided into biodegradable materials, photo degradable materials, thermally degradable materials, and mechanically degradable materials.    

The common biodegradable materials are mainly PLA and PBAT.

PLA polylactic acid is currently the most widely used and extensively researched biodegradable material, also known as polylactide, made from starch raw materials. The general principle is that starch raw materials are saccharified to obtain glucose, which is then fermented by glucose and certain bacterial strains to produce high-purity lactic acid. Then, a certain molecular weight polylactic acid is synthesized through chemical synthesis methods.

PBAT, also known as poly (adipic acid) or polybutylene terephthalate, is a widely used degradation material that has been extensively researched and utilized. It is a copolymer of polybutylene adipate and polybutylene terephthalate, possessing the characteristics of both PBA and PBT. It has good ductility and elongation at break, as well as good heat resistance and impact resistance. In addition, it also has excellent biodegradability.

Food packaging bag

At present, the widely used green and environmentally friendly packaging materials in China are mainly divided into paper products, natural biomaterials, biodegradable materials, and edible materials.

The most mature materials used are traditional biodegradable materials such as starch based, polylactic acid, PVA film, etc; Other new biodegradable materials, such as cellulose, chitosan, protein, etc., also have great potential for development. Compared to disposable traditional packaging, recyclable and biodegradable packaging can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80%.   

Degradable materials in fast food not only possess the functions and characteristics of traditional plastics, but also can be broken down and reduced in the natural environment through microbial action in soil and water, or through the action of ultraviolet rays in sunlight, after completing their mission, and finally re enter the ecological environment in a non-toxic form, returning to nature.

For example, in the catering industry, you may often see biodegradable packaging, biodegradable meal boxes, sugarcane pulp plates, fully biodegradable paper cups, etc.

Cosmetic packaging materials

PLA material has good processability and biocompatibility, and is currently the main biodegradable packaging material used in cosmetics. PLA material has good rigidity and mechanical resistance, making it an excellent material for rigid cosmetic packaging.

Cellulose and its derivatives are the most commonly used polysaccharides in packaging production and the most abundant natural polymers on Earth. Composed of glucose monomer units linked together by B-1.4 glycosidic bonds, this enables cellulose chains to form strong interchain hydrogen bonds. Cellulose packaging is suitable for storing non hygroscopic dry cosmetics.

Starch material is a polysaccharide composed of amylose and amylopectin, mainly derived from grains, cassava, and potatoes. The starch based materials available on the market are composed of a mixture of starch and other polymers, such as polyvinyl alcohol or polycaprolactone. These starch based thermoplastic materials have been widely used in industrial applications, meeting the requirements for extrusion applications, injection molding, blow molding, film blowing, and foaming in cosmetic packaging. Suitable for non hygroscopic dry cosmetic packaging. Chitosan has the potential to be used as a biodegradable packaging material for cosmetics due to its antimicrobial activity. Chitosan is a cationic polysaccharide derived from chitosan deacetylation, which originates from the shell of crustaceans or fungal hyphae. Chitosan can be used as a coating on PLA film to produce flexible packaging with both biodegradability and antioxidant properties.

Naturally degradable clothing materials

Biodegradable fabrics refer to fabrics that, like pure cotton fabrics, can be completely decomposed by microorganisms in nature without any impact on the environment, and are also known as "green" fabrics.

The total carbon emissions of the clothing industry exceed the total emissions of all international flights and shipping, accounting for 10% of global carbon emissions, making it the second largest polluting industry after the oil industry. Therefore, in terms of environmental protection, international brands such as Nike and Adidas have already made many attempts.

In 2020, Xtep launched a polylactic acid windbreaker, becoming the first enterprise in the industry to overcome the problem of polylactic acid coloring and achieve mass production of polylactic acid products. At that time, the proportion of polylactic acid in the entire windbreaker fabric was 19%. After a year, this proportion has significantly increased to 60% in today's polylactic acid T-shirts. It is understood that clothes made of polylactic acid fibers can naturally degrade within one year when buried in specific environments. The use of bio based polylactic acid fibers can reduce the harm to the environment from the source.

Cotton fiber is now used for biodegradable all natural clothing. Cotton fiber is typically found in bedding labeled as hypoallergenic and can be used as part of an allergen free bedroom. As a natural fiber, kapok is a very good alternative to petroleum based materials commonly used in pillows, such as polyester and foam. In addition, it is biodegradable, washable, and because kapok fiber is very light, weighing one eighth of cotton, it is now being developed into a wearable material.

brief summary

A large part of the biodegradable plastics we are talking about now are biodegradable plastics. Biodegradable plastics are currently mainly divided into four categories: PLA (polylactic acid), PBS (polyester), PBAT (polyester), and PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates).

PLA is widely used in industries such as packaging, textile, agricultural film, and biomedical polymers; PBS can be used in various fields such as packaging films, tableware, foam packaging materials, daily necessities bottles, pharmaceutical bottles, agricultural films, pesticide and fertilizer slow-release materials, etc; PBAT is widely used in the fields of disposable packaging film and agricultural film due to its excellent film-forming performance and ease of blown film; PHAs biodegradable plastics have high thermal deformation temperature and good biocompatibility, and can be used in disposable products, medical equipment surgical gowns, packaging bags and composting bags, medical sutures, repair devices, bandages, orthopedic needles, anti adhesive films, and stents.

Degradable materials have their advantages in performance, practicality, degradability, and safety. In terms of performance, biodegradable plastics can achieve or exceed the performance of traditional plastics in certain specific fields; In terms of practicality, biodegradable plastics have similar application and hygiene properties to similar traditional plastics; In terms of degradability, biodegradable plastics can quickly degrade in natural environments (specific microorganisms, temperature, humidity) after use, and become easily utilizable fragments or non-toxic gases, reducing their impact on the environment; In terms of safety, the substances generated or remaining during the degradation process of biodegradable plastics are harmless to the environment and will not affect the survival of humans and other organisms.