The danger posed by plastics For the ocean it’s getting clearer. Therefore, ways are sought to avoid, reuse and recycle them. In the first group there is not only the use of bamboo or paper as plastic substitutes. It also contemplates the investigation of new biodegradable and compostable plastics. One of the most widely used biodegradable plastics is polylactic acid. A boat soon fulfills what it promises, but it does not do so in any condition. In fact, according to a study just published, when released into the sea, it might not be a biodegradable plastic.
This is something that should be studied in greater depth, since it is of little use that it is biodegradable in some environments, but it is not so in one of those that suffer the most damage from the plastic pollution.
If a solution is not found, its use should be reduced, at least in certain contexts. This is pioneering research, as it is the first time that the decomposition of biodegradable plastics directly in the sea. But even so, he still has a long way to go.
What is the difference between biodegradable and compostable plastics?
Biodegradable plastics are those that can be broken down into the chemicals that form them through the action of biological agentssuch as microorganisms natural conditions. Within this group are plastics. compostablewhich, moreover, when degraded become pass.
All this makes it easier for biodegradable plastics to decompose much faster than those made from petroleum. According to Ecoembes, if a conventional plastic bag takes between 300 and 500 yearsa biodegradable one can take between a few months and 6 yearsdepending on the type of plastic used.
What about polylactic acid?
Polylactic acid is defined as a biodegradable and compostable plasticcomposed of a polymer of lactic acid, which is obtained by the fermentation of certain sugars.
It has been observed to be rapidly reduced to lactic acid again when in a compost pile. These are at a very high temperature, which favors the decomposition reaction. But what about the sea water, much colder than those batteries?
To answer this question, the authors of the study that has just been published in PLOS One they took various samples of plastics, cellulose-based compounds, petroleum, a mixture of both, or polylactic acid. Afterwards, they put them in a cage and, in turn, submerged the cage in the water of the coast of La Jolla, California.
Each week, samples were removed from the water, examined for signs of degradation, and returned to the sea. Thus, the scientists were able to verify that biodegradable plastics cellulose based they decomposed very quickly, in less than a month. They observed that the decomposition had not occurred by mechanical methods, but by biological ones, since carbon dioxide had been released in the process.
Logically, plastics derived from petroleum and mixtures did not degrade in the time that the investigation lasted. But neither is polylactic acid. fourteen months laterwas still intact.
What should we do?
The conclusion of the study is that, in order for polylactic acid-based plastics to be used as biodegradable plastics, should first be processed in facilities set up for this. If not, we may think that we are protecting marine ecosystems, but we will not be doing it at all.
Studies like this are very necessary, because sometimes it is necessary to see how the materials behave in reality, before considering them perfectly valid. The decomposition of a plastic in the laboratory is not the same as directly in the sea. It is there, right where it hurts, where we must try.