Corn plastic bottle completely degraded within 12 weeks

The first batch of biodegradable mineral water bottles developed and produced by the British company Belou was recently put into the UK market. A revolution in the plastic container and packaging industry is beginning quietly. The water bottle is made of plant-based plastic, which greatly shortens the time required for degradation, and is another new breakthrough in the application of environmentally friendly materials. However, while environmentalists affirmed the environmental value of such plastics, they also questioned the bottled water itself.

Berlu, which produces biodegradable mineral water bottles, is a company that is committed to the development of green products. The bottle is made of corn-based plastic, and although the capacity reaches 0.5 liters, it can be fully degraded in just 12 weeks under the action of commercial fertilizers. Even with household fertilizers, the degradation process can be completed within 9 months to 1 year. It takes hundreds or even thousands of years for ordinary plastics to be buried in the soil to decompose. The widespread use of corn plastic bottles helps to fundamentally curb the unpleasant trend that the UK refuse dump will be flooded with more and more refractory plastic products.

However, the promotion of such biodegradable products in the United Kingdom has its difficulties. Because the United Kingdom does not have the commercial fertilizer required for the bottle to decompose, and the corn polymer as a raw material is also imported from US shipping. With the business scale of Belou, it is still difficult to conduct such a large-scale commercial operation in the long term.

Other companies are also working hard to develop biodegradable products. Marks & Spencer's sandwiches have been packaged in plastic film made from corn starch. The Coca-Cola Company is testing to reduce the weight of plastic bottles and said they are also studying the feasibility of using biodegradable bottles. Nestle is developing a new packaging for its milk chocolate products. The benefit is that it can be decomposed in water.

Source: China Polymer Network