Chapter 15 - Starch Plastic Packaging and Agriculture Applications

Abstract

The environmental impact of petroleum-based plastics is a growing concern throughout the world. Containers and packaging comprise the largest sector of municipal solid waste and are a major component of pollution on both land and sea. Renewable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics are needed for a more sustainable future. Starch, an abundant, biodegradable, renewable, and low-cost commodity, has been used in multiple ways to make alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. Starch can be made into a thermoplastic material but its poor mechanical properties and moisture sensitivity limit wider use. Starch-based plastics with improved properties have been made by blending starch with other polymers, using moisture-resistant films, and by creating composite materials using fibers and inorganic materials. Starch is also an important fermentation feedstock for the production of other important biopolymers. The prospects are promising for an ever-increasing role for starch in the development of sustainable packaging and other bioproducts.