Major breakthrough in the plastic pollution fight
NEXT customer, please!
As you wheel your trolley load of purchases to the teller, the first question you’re invariably asked is: do you need plastic bags?
You answer in the affirmative but with a mild sense of guilt, knowing those conventional plastic bags – made from petroleum-based chemical materials – will probably end up being washed down our local rivers and storm water drains and eventually making their way to our already polluted oceans, choking marine life.
It is for that reason that the theme for this year’s World Oceans Day last week (June 8) was “Beat Plastic Pollution” which was a call for action for all citizens to come together to combat one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. That’s the depressing news.
The good news, however, is that with new ground-breaking technology being developed, consumers in South Africa may soon be able to dispose of their plastic bags with the rest of their waste without having to worry about any possible negative effects on the environment.
A team of local scientists at the CSIR’S polymer and composite research group in Port Elizabeth, headed by senior researcher Dr Sudhakar Muniyasamy, has succeeded in developing plastic bags that are made from agricultural by-products and are 100% biodegradable. Approaches have already been made to government for funding and they are awaiting a response.
In an interview with the Sunday Tribune, Muniyasamy, who led the team behind the discovery, confirmed the new maize and sugar cane bio-based bags are completely biodegradable.
When disposed of into natural environments like landfills, compost and marine water, they undergo 100% bio-degradation in just 3 to 6 months, without releasing any toxic residues.
Clearly excited about the discovery, Muniyasamy, 37, who hails from India and holds a PHD in chemical science from University of Pisa in Italy, said the bags can also be recycled.
In a short space of time, major retailers like Woolworths and Pick n Pay would be involved in market trials to test the product in a pilot phase.
The new products, he said, met all the necessary scientific requirements and standards.
The next steps involved undertaking the simulation of continuous product manufacturing “as per the real factory production operation”.
CSIR has also made approaches for the funding of the project, including government, and are awaiting responses.
This will be followed by industrial trials to gauge areas like energy consumption, standard operating procedures, manpower requirements and market trials.
Muniyasamy is confident the new technology being developed will contribute to reducing environmental pollution.
He says it also has the potential to boost local job creation in manufacturing.
“In South Africa, 90% of carrier bags, agricultural films and other short term or single-use consumer plastic items are produced from petroleum-based chemical materials and are therefore non-biodegradable when disposed of in natural environments.
“Most of these plastics are cheap to produce, but persist in landfills for many decades, causing environmental damage that is very expensive to clean.”
He said the new bags currently cost more to manufacture than normal bags, but prices were expected to decrease once production capacity increases.
He believed the price difference between the new bio-plastic bags and existing plastic bags was cancelled out by the fact that the new products are eco-friendly and address the problem of plastic pollution.
While paper bags cost approximately R2 each, he estimated the new product would cost about R1,30 each to the retailer, and this will reduce over time.
Muniyasamy says he does not see the new product being a threat to existing jobs in the recycling industry.
“Instead, I believe it would open new opportunities for the recycling industries as the product is 100% recyclable.
“As an added advantage, if the CSIR bio-plastic ends up in the landfill or other environments, it will fully bio-degrade by the action of natural micro-organisms within three to six months, without leaving any toxic residues.”
When asked about time lines for production, he says once the pilot production infrastructure was in place, it would take roughly six months to be in the market.
“Our project team believes that this project will have an impact in society and reduce plastic pollution.
“We hope we will get the necessary support to take it to the market,” he said.
Dr Sudhakar Muniyasamy is a senior researcher in the field of bioplastics and biodegradable polymers for packaging applications at the CSIR Material Science and Manufacturing Unit, Polymer and Composites Research group, in Port Elizabeth. He received his PHD degree in chemical science from University of Pisa, Italy (20072010). He has post doctorate experience from University of Guelph, Canada (20112013) and has published 20 peer-reviewed journal articles, five book chapters and a book on environmental friendly polymers and plastics.