Did you know that we use about 50 billion plastic bottles every year, and that is just in America alone! Now you might be asking, why is this important? This is important because traditional plastic, made from oil, takes about 450-1000 years to decompose.
However we might have a solution to this; Biodegradable Plastic. So what is biodegradable plastic? Biodegradable plastic is plastic that decomposes naturally in the environment. This happens when microorganisms break down the structure of the certain object. This will overall be much better for the environment.
How do we make Biodegradable plastic? The concept of biodegradable plastics was first introduced in the 1980s by a team of Japanese scientist. You make Biodegradable plastic with all-natural plant materials. These materials can include corn oil, orange peels, starch, and plants. The process of making biodegradable plastics begins with the melting down of all the materials, then the mixture is then poured into molds of various shapes such as plastic water bottles and utensils. On the other hand traditional plastic is made from chemical fillers that can be harmful to the environment when released when the plastic is melted down.
What does this have to do with engineering?
This has to do with engineering because it is a good innovative way that will/can help us make sure that the world we live in will be less polluted because of our actions.
Links used to make this article
http://www.pepctplastics.com/resources/connecticut-plastics-learning-center/biodegradable-plastics/
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/bioplastics.html
http://www.craftechind.com/introduction-biodegradable-plastics/
