Bio Polymers - Sustainable & Beautiful
Sustainable and Beautiful? That’s right. The journey from petrochemical plastics to bio plastics from renewable sources is well underway!
I think its fair to say there is a significant backlash against plastic at the moment and I think this is a good thing! However. Plastic is an amazing material. There are certain products or parts of products you can simply not make without it. This has become acutely evident to me since I started trying to design it out of my products over the last few years!
There is hope for much more sustainable plastics though! Bio plastics, or Bio polymers whichever you prefer.
I am currently using 2 types of bio polymer in my designs, PLA and PHA. Read on to find out more!
PLA or poly lactic acid. Its made from renewable resources such as corn starch, cassava roots, or sugarcane. Its bio-degradable and compostable*. Production of PLA saves two thirds of the energy needed to make traditional plastics. Carbon dioxide is consumed during the growth of corn. It is scientifically established that during the biodegradation of PLA bioplastics, there is no net increase in carbon dioxide gas and it can also be recycled.
The other bio polymer I am using is PHA or Polyhydroxyalkanoate. The name really slips off the tongue! We are using PHA/PLA blends and recently I have begun prototyping with pure PHA! I m very exciting about it! Here’s why. There is very little to complain about with this plastic from a sustainability point of view. Its is easily biodegradable and will decompose in soil and waterways in a reasonable amount of time. It can be made from waste, so it doesn’t have to be made from crops which occupy land. Get this, it can even be made from sewage! That’s right. There is a project in the Netherlands doing just that, producing PHA plastic from waste water. If you are interested this is called the Phario Project Other very viable sources include discarded oils from the cooking industry, waste coming from compost facilities, farms and food processors.
I am also developing products that include reclaimed waste products along with PLA. My Aspera Sphera collection uses PLA infused with Oyster and scallop shells that came from restaurant waste streams. This gives the material a beautiful natural warmth and translucency that is revealed once illuminated.
*PLA is compostable in industrial composting facilities
Scientific information taken from:
Eco Friendly 3D Printing? The Promise of PHA by Michael Molitch-Hou (3D Print.com)