Bioplastics from Kitchen Wastes: A Developing Green Technology

Abstract

Plastic waste has become one of the biggest problems due to their excessive use. Decomposition of bioplastics is very difficult as a result its causes lot of negative impact to landfill and water pollution. The most possible solution to overcome this problem is to substitute synthetic polymeric materials with biodegradable materials suchas bioplastics. Food wastes can be transformed into environment friendly bioplastics, which will not only reduce environmental pollution due to natural fermentation of these wastes, but also generate National revenue besides generating employment potentials. These polymers can be degraded environmentally by microorganisms and water in compost piles. Application of Bioplastics has several advantages over conventional plastics such as lower carbon footprint and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, lower energy cost in manufacturing, reduction of permanent litter, and much safer to the environment. In food Industries, the need for high-standard storage features and the urge for packaging with high economic, low ecological impact, ease of customization, and low encumbrance can be answered by compostable or degradable bioplastics where kitchen waste may take essential role. Advancements in biomedical applications of bioplastics lead to the development of drug delivery systems and therapeutic devices for tissue engineering. Nanocellulose and its composites, which may be obtained from the processing of kitchen wastes, may result in potential and economical sources for green plastic studies about the fabrication of medical implants, either in dental, orthopedic, or biomedical fields.