Biowaste to Bioplastics: An Ecofriendly Approach for a Sustainable Future

Abstract

Bioplastics are biodegradable polymers of biological origin. The exhausting fossil resources and ever-increasing environmental pollution caused by plastics derived from these resources are driving the growth of the bio plastic industry. There is increasing focus on developing low-cost and durable bio-based plastics, with a wide range of applicability. Currently, a majority of raw material for bioplastics production comes from agricultural crops, which indirectly poses threat to food security. Hence using organic wastes from biological origins, will not only limit our dependency on agricultural crops, but may also assist in solid waste management, in an effective manner. Industries, particularly food and agriculture sector, produce significant amounts of organic wastes, which can be harnessed for this purpose. It will also reduce the cost of production to a remarkable extent. Hence, this review focuses on the types of bio-based plastics and gives an insight on biological wastes that can be utilized to produce such plastics. It is indeed, the need of time to intensify innovations and research in this field to overcome the hindrances and developing viable processes for manufacturing bio-based plastics. This environmentally friendly approach can remove our dependency from fossil-based conventional polymers and will lead us to a much more sustainable future.