Why biopolymers are ecological and profitable

19.10.2022

Four out of five items we use are made of polymers, the Russian Chemists' Union has calculated. These are packaging, fabrics, adhesives, paints, and more. The problem is that 99% of polymers are synthetic. They pollute the environment when they are disposed of, and they do not pollute when they are disposed of.

But there is a promising alternative - natural polymers or in another way - biopolymers. They are safe, biodegradable and as good as their analogues. We tell you why the use of biopolymers is not only a concern for nature, but also an economic benefit.

10/19/2022

What are biopolymers and how do they differ from synthetic polymers?

Biopolymers (full name - biodegradable polymers) are polymers of natural origin. Otherwise they can be called natural polymers. They are a part of living organisms: for example, in humans they are molecules of proteins and DNA, in trees - cellulose. In addition to natural polymers, there are polymers of synthetic origin, which are obtained from the products of chemical processing of oil and gas.

Целлюлоза – самый распространённый биополимер

Cellulose is found in wood and tree needles, so it is the most abundant biopolymer on Earth

Why biopolymers are greener than synthetic polymers

Biodegradable polymers are completely degradable and harmless to the environment, synthetic polymers are practically not. They will not decompose in nature before 100 years, so they need to be recycled. To compare: plastic made of biopolymers is already decomposed by 90% in 180 days by microorganisms - bacteria or fungi.
Biopolymers are made from 100% renewable raw materials, while synthetics are made from hydrocarbons. Raw materials for most synthetic polymers are natural or associated gas and petrochemical products. These are non-renewable resources and their volume is limited. Biologically degradable polymers are derived from biomass, which nature constantly produces: alginates from algae, cellulose from corn, starch from potatoes and so on.

There is more biomass on the planet than hydrocarbons. Its volume is about 5000 billion tons, and the volume of reserves of oil, gas and coal is 1.8-2 billion tons, or 1% of the volume of biomass.

Moreover, if biomass is renewable, "with current production levels in Russia, oil reserves will last 59 years and gas reserves will last 103 years," says Alexander Kozlov, head of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Why biopolymers in water treatment are profitable

So far, their share of the polymer market is only 1%, because they are more expensive than synthetic polymers and expensive to implement. The reagents for water treatment produced by BioMicroGels are the rare case when using biodegradable polymers