Biodegradable plastics' 'green' association propels their growth, claims report

The green factor is triggering the growth of biodegradable plastics, particularly in the areas of consumer products and packaging, Frost & Sullivan reports.
By Anne Marie Mohan, GreenerPackage.com, Jan. 4, 2010

As biodegradable plastics fall under the "green" category, they exhibit high potential for growth compared to other thriving environment-friendly technologies in the renewable energy and chemicals segments. That’s the conclusion of new analysis from Frost & Sullivan, “Biodegradable Plastics—A Strategic Assessment of Technology Status and Application Prospects.”

The report indicates that opportunities are proliferating in key application areas such as packaging/plastic bags, agriculture, consumer goods, electronics, automotive, and healthcare. Growth in this sector occurs due to factors such as climate change, favorable governmental measures, and green procurement policies practiced by governments and corporate entities. Stringent environmental regulations are driving the development of bio-based products and are triggering the growth of the biodegradable plastics industry.

In the analysis, Frost & Sullivan finds that consumer products and packaging have emerged as the application sectors having the highest potential for biodegradable plastics. Analysis revealed that film packaging and rigid packaging scored the best in terms of level of attractiveness and possibility of success.

"Traditional packaging materials contain a range of oil-based polymers, which are largely nonbiodegradable," notes technical insights research analyst W.F. Kee. "Packaging waste forms a significant part of municipal solid waste and has caused increasing environmental concerns, resulting in strengthening of legislation in order to reduce packaging waste."

The report notes that with the ramping up of the attraction quotient in recent years, green products are clearly gaining advocates. “It has become increasingly fashionable for the public to support green products,” Frost & Sullivan says. “The popularity of hybrid cars and reusable bags is a good example. Eco-friendly products have been introduced in various sectors, including food, appliances, and cars. ”

Consumer interest in bio-based packaging is on the rise, the analysis relates. Public support for green products is partially responsible for the biodegradable plastics market growth, and this global trend is expected to continue, gathering steam in the future.

Challenges to growth

Although the overall prospects look bright, some issues have been reining in market progress, the report notes. Cost competitiveness is foremost among the challenges confronting the market. To circumvent this obstacle, proposed solutions include the use of cheaper feedstock, for instance, biomass-based feedstock, as well as an integrated process. Utilization of feedstock is very limited right now, Frost & Sullivan says, and the adoption of biomass-based feedstock will mostly be influenced by the development of improved biocatalysts.

Other concerns associated with biodegradable plastics are poor processability characteristics, low barrier properties toward air, water, and oxygen, low resistance to heat, and in some cases, low shelf life, the report states.

"The properties of traditional biodegradable polymers do not offer the essential mechanical properties and fail to match up to the needs of end-user application compared with conventional plastics," says Kee. "This acts as a barrier for the penetration of biodegradable packaging in high-end applications."

The report concludes that it is imperative that these impediments be addressed before biodegradable products can compete on an equal footing with conventional plastics.

Suggestions to improve properties include deploying enhanced blending technologies or developing composites. Blending studies are underway in the academic and corporate sectors, and efforts have been initiated for the development of bio- and nanocomposites, Frost & Sullivan says. The former incorporates bio-based materials such as natural fibers to improve the mechanical properties of biodegradable plastics, while the latter incorporates nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes to produce materials that are stronger and more durable.

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Biodegradable Particles Can Bypass Mucus, Release Drugs Over Time

ScienceDaily, Jan. 4, 2010

Johns Hopkins University researchers have created biodegradable nanosized particles that can easily slip through the body's sticky and viscous mucus secretions to deliver a sustained-release medication cargo.

The researchers say these nanoparticles, which degrade over time into harmless components, could one day carry life-saving drugs to patients suffering from dozens of health conditions, including diseases of the eye, lung, gut or female reproductive tract.

The mucus-penetrating biodegradable nanoparticles were developed by an interdisciplinary team led by Justin Hanes, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins. The team's work was reported recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Hanes' collaborators included cystic fibrosis expert Pamela Zeitlin, a professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and director of pediatric pulmonary medicine at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

These nanoparticles, Zeitlin said, could be an ideal means of delivering drugs to people with cystic fibrosis, a disease that kills children and adults by altering the mucus barriers in the lung and gut.

"Cystic fibrosis mucus is notoriously thick and sticky and represents a huge barrier to aerosolized drug delivery," she said. "In our study, the nanoparticles were engineered to travel through cystic fibrosis mucus at a much greater velocity than ever before, thereby improving drug delivery. This work is critically important to moving forward with the next generation of small molecule and gene-based therapies."

Beyond their potential applications for cystic fibrosis patients, the nanoparticles also could be used to help treat disorders such as lung and cervical cancer, and inflammation of the sinuses, eyes, lungs and gastrointestinal tract, said Benjamin C. Tang, lead author of the recent journal article and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

"Chemotherapy is typically given to the whole body and has many undesired side effects," he said. "If drugs are encapsulated in these nanoparticles and inhaled directly into the lungs of lung cancer patients, drugs may reach lung tumors more effectively, and improved outcomes may be achieved, especially for patients diagnosed with early stage non-small cell lung cancer."

In the lungs, eyes, gastrointestinal tract and other areas, the human body produces layers of mucus to protect sensitive tissue. But an undesirable side effect is that these mucus barriers can also keep helpful medications away.

In proof-of-concept experiments, previous research teams led by Hanes earlier demonstrated that latex particles coated with polyethylene glycol could slip past mucus coatings. But latex particles are not a practical material for delivering medication to human patients because they are not broken down by the body. In the new study, the researchers described how they took an important step forward in making new particles that biodegrade into harmless components while delivering their drug payload over time.

"The major advance here is that we were able make biodegradable nanoparticles that can rapidly penetrate thick and sticky mucus secretions, and that these particles can transport a wide range of therapeutic molecules, from small molecules such as chemotherapeutics and steroids to macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids," Hanes said. "Previously, we could not get these kinds of sustained-release treatments through the body's sticky mucus layers effectively."

The new biodegradable particles comprise two parts made of molecules routinely used in existing medications. An inner core, composed largely of polysebacic acid (PSA), traps therapeutic agents inside. A particularly dense outer coating of polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules, which are linked to PSA, allows a particle to move through mucus nearly as easily as if it were moving through water and also permits the drug to remain in contact with affected tissues for an extended period of time.

In Hanes' previous studies with mucus-penetrating particles, latex particles could be effectively coated with PEG but could not release drugs or biodegrade. Unlike latex, however, PSA can degrade into naturally occurring molecules that are broken down and flushed away by the body through the kidney, for example. As the particles break down, the drugs loaded inside are released.

This property of PSA enables the sustained release of drugs, said Samuel Lai, assistant research professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, while designing them for mucus penetration allows them to more readily reach inaccessible tissues.

Jie Fu, an assistant research professor, also from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, said, "As it degrades, the PSA comes off along with the drug over a controlled amount of time that can reach days to weeks."

Polyethylene glycol acts as a shield to protect the particles from interacting with proteins in mucus that would cause them to be cleared before releasing their contents. In a related research report, the group showed that the particles can efficiently encapsulate several chemotherapeutics, and that a single dose of drug-loaded particles was able to limit tumor growth in a mouse model of lung cancer for up to 20 days.

Hanes, Zeitlin, Lai and Fu are all affiliated with Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology. Other authors on the paper are Ying-Ying Wang, Jung Soo Suk, and Ming Yang, doctoral students in the Johns Hopkins Department of Biomedical Engineering; Michael P. Boyle, an associate professor in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; and Michelle Dawson, an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

This work was supported in part by funding from the National Institutes of Health, a National Center for Research Resources Clinical and Translational Science Award, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the National Science Foundation and a Croucher Foundation Fellowship.

The technology described in the journal article is protected by patents managed by the Johns Hopkins Technology Transfer office and is licensed exclusively by Kala Pharmaceuticals. Justin Hanes is a paid consultant to Kala Pharmaceuticals, a startup company in which he holds equity, and is currently a member of its board. The terms of these arrangements are being managed by The Johns Hopkins University in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policies.

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Drive to promote biodegradable alternatives

Express News Service, express buzz, Jan. 4, 2010

CUTTACK, India - If everything moves in the right direction, Cuttack could well become the first polythene-free city of the State. For, the civic authorities have charted out elaborate plans to phase out common use of the hazardous material.

While it is set for a crackdown on production, import and sale of polythene of less than 20 microns in strength in the city, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has resolved to launch a drive to educate people on using biodegradable alternatives.

The denizens would be sensitised on using textile, jute and paper bags instead of polythene carry bags. Shops, business establishments, hotels and restaurants have already been directed not to provide their goods in the banned polythene material to the customers, Commissioner RN Nanda said.

At the same time, a coordinated effort would be made to boost availability of the alternatives like paper and jute bags. The Corporation authorities along with the District Collector would hold a meeting of agencies concerned like the district industries centre and its wings to promote manufacturing paper bags and other biodegradable packaging material.

The move would serve two purposes: helping enormously in eliminating harmful polythene and providing employment opportunities.

Polythene is the single most contributing factor to the problems of water-logging in the millennium city. The Orissa High Court is also monitoring the enforcement of ban on recycled polythene in the city.

The deluge of 2007 and even the heavy showers last year had revealed the disastrous consequences of indiscriminate dumping of polythene and plastic materials in the drains and water discharge channels. While the city witnessed widespread inundation last year, fishing out of at least five tractor loads of plastic, polythene and polymer discards at the outage point of the Main Storm Water Channel near Matru Bhawan eased out the situation within hours.

A concerted campaign would be launched to make people conscious and debar them from dumping the hazardous materials into the drains, Nanda said.

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New restrictions on plastic bags coming in Minn.

Associated Press, WQOW TV, Dec. 28, 2009

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Most residents of the Twin Cities metro area will soon face new state requirements on plastic yard bags, even though raking is months away.

A new state law taking effect on Friday requires metro-area residents - except those who live in Minneapolis - to use certified compostable bags for yard waste.

The requirement is waived for those who immediately empty their yard waste bags at a compost facility or transfer station. Minneapolis is exempt until 2013 while the city phases in a new compost system.

Another law going into effect Friday prohibits labeling plastic bags as "biodegradable" or "compostable" unless the bags meet standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials. Businesses that violate the labeling law could face fines of up to $5,000.

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Houston delays requirement for biodegradable yard waste bags

Rule now set to go into effect Feb. 1
By MATTHEW TRESAUGUE, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Dec. 28, 2009

City officials predict that the change will result in the diversion of 60,000 tons of organic material from local landfills at an annual savings of $2 million in fees, or 10 percent of the city's yearly budget for waste disposal

Houston waste officials have decided to delay the start of a program requiring the use of biodegradable and compostable bags for leaves and yard trimmings because of a supply problem.

The program will go into effect Feb. 1, instead of Jan. 1, to allow more time for the bags to reach store shelves, said Marina Joseph, a spokeswoman for the city's Solid Waste Department.

The newly mandated bags can be found at Walmart and Kroger stores and will soon be at other retailers, such as CVS, Ace Hardware and Do It Best Hardware, she said.

“They are out there, but it's not as widespread as we would like it to be,” Joseph said Monday of the bags. “We don't want to start the program without them being widely available.”

The city is making the change to the biodegradable bags because plastic bags, made from petroleum, can linger for centuries in landfills. The compostable bags begin to decompose within six weeks.

City officials predict that the change will result in the diversion of 60,000 tons of organic material from local landfills at an annual savings of $2 million in fees, or 10 percent of the city's yearly budget for waste disposal.

The compostable bags, however, are more expensive. A box of 10 city-required bags, each holding up to 39 gallons, costs $6 to $8, while a box of 70 similar-size plastic bags sells for about $16.

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Bio bags

Effective Feb. 1, the city will only pick up leaves, grass trimmings and other yard waste that is left out in biodegradable or compostable bags. Some details:

What: The new bags feel like plastic, but are made of starch and start decomposing in six weeks.

Why: The city hopes to conserve landfill space, cut waste and reduce use of petroleum-based plastic bags that take centuries to decompose.

How much: A box of 10, 39-gallon bags will sell for $6-$8 at several grocery retailers — up to 80 cents a bag, compared with under 25 cents for comparable plastic bags.

Where they are: The following Walmart locations say they have the new bags in stock. Officials say other retailers, such as CVS, Ace Hardware, Do It Best Hardware and possible Kroger, should have them in stock soon:
26270 Northwest Freeway, Cypress 22605 Tomball Pkwy., Tomball 9235 North Sam Houston Pkwy., Humble 5655 East Sam Houston Pkwy., Houston 9598 Rowlett Road, Houston 9460 West Sam Houston Pkwy. South, Houston 12353 FM 1960 West, Houston 2700 South Kirkwood Drive, Houston 9555 South Post Oak Road, Houston 13484 Northwest Freeway, Houston 2727 Dunvale Road, Houston 10411 North Freeway, Houston 155 Louetta Crossing, Spring 3506 Texas 6, Houston 27650 Tomball Pkwy., Tomball

More information: www.houstonsolidwaste.org.

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