In my last post I mentioned in passing term organic plastic. I said that it is environmentally friendly. I want to do more on organic plastic with this post to encourage gravitation towards it, more so as it is a small area in the predominantly petroleum-based plastic industry.
The term organic plastic is tricky.
The opposite of organic is inorganic. The term organic plastic presupposes
there is inorganic plastic. Organic relates to living things, and inorganic
relates to nonliving things. Comparing the two terms, organic plastic should
mean plastic derived from living things, which it is, and inorganic should mean
plastic derived from nonliving things. However, all plastics are organic in
origin. So in reality the term organic plastic should not presuppose an
opposite of inorganic plastic.
COMPARISM
Why then the term organic plastic? The
term organic plastic derives its terminology from the fact that such plastic
products do not derive their origin from oil and natural gas. The common
plastic products you see around you have their origin in oil and natural gas,
or are said to be petroleum-based. Such plastic products are organic though.
Why? They are organic because oil and gas are extracted from decomposed wood
that has lain in the belly of planet Earth over time. The decomposed wood
contains carbon. The carbon in the oil and gas from which petroleum-based
plastic is made, makes petroleum- based plastic organic plastic.
However, organic plastic, in terms of
classification, are made from corn starch and sugar cane. In this context the
opposite of organic plastic is therefore petroleum-based plastic. In terms of
substance of source they are all organic.
Relating to their chemistry with the
natural environment, which is the substance of the mission of this blog, there
are yet critical differences. Petroleum-based plastics in decomposition may
leave toxin in the natural environment, and take a very long time to
biodegrade. On the other hand, organic plastic does not leave toxin in the
natural environment in decomposition, and biodegrades easier. The source of
organic plastic (corn, cassava, sugarcane) is renewable, but the source of
petroleum- based plastic (oil and gas) is not renewable.
From the foregoing, it is clear that organic
plastic has comparative advantage over petroleum-based plastic. The comparative
advantage of organic plastic over petroleum-based plastic is that it does not
leave toxin in the natural environment, has easier biodegradation and it is
renewable.
SOURCE DIFFERENTIALS
PETROLEUM-BASED
PLASTIC
Oil
Natural gas
ORGANIC
PLASTIC
Corn starch
Sugarcane
Cassava roots
Oil and natural gas, the source of
petroleum- based plastic, are extracted from wood that has lain in the belly of
the Earth for a long time, while corn starch, sugarcane and cassava root, the
source of organic plastic is relatively fresh. With organic plastic bacteria is
fermented to get lactic acid (Polylactic Acid-PLA) from corn starch and
sugarcane. Another term for organic plastic is bioplastics.
PRODUCTS OF ORGANIC PLASTIC
To know what organic product is, after
all I am asking you to gravitate towards organic plastic for the sake of the
sanity of the natural environment, I list below the following:
Sutures (device used in holding body
tissues together after injury-stitching)
Stens
Dialysis machine
Medical implants- screws, pins, rods
etc.
Drinking cups
Food containers
Compost bags
CHEMISTRY
Plastic is chemically formed by the
bonding of molecules. Molecule is a collection of two or more atoms. And atom
is the smallest part of an element. In the making of plastic, monomer is a unit
of molecules. In bonding, a monomer combines with other monomers, in a long
chain, in a process called polymerization. From this process plastic or polymer
is formed. Polymer can be natural or manmade.
PARTING SHOT
The long and short of the matter is that we (mankind) have on
our shoulders a natural environment that is polluted by the activities of man.
So polluted that in a worst case scenario, it may not be able to sustain life
anymore. Plastic, created and used by man, useful as it is, is contributing a
lot towards the worst case scenario I am referring to. Petroleum-based plastic,
which is in common use now is the plastic that is the culprit. However, organic
plastic or bioplastics have a symbiotic chemistry with the natural environment.
The post is therefore pointing to a plastic (organic plastic)
that does not harm the natural environment, to the extent to which it can be
applied, as it is a relatively small area in the plastic industry, and to
encourage you to patronize it (as hinted in the opening paragraph) for a clean
and balanced natural environment.
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