Current World Environment

Plastic is a major environmental pollutant in the environment. The petroleum derived plastics are mostly non biodegradable and take long time to break down. Thus ecosystem is getting affected by this pollution. So the approach to produce plastic using microbes is a novel approach. Bio-plastics are generally bio-based, they may be or may not be biodegradable but their properties are closed to synthetic polymers. In biodegradation process micro-organisms convert plastics into water, carbon dioxide, and compost. Bioplastics are generally prepared from biomass such as polysaccharides, starch, lipids, proteins, cellulose etc. These biodegradable polymers can be used in various fields like agriculture, automotives, medicine, controlled drug release and packaging etc. That means bio-plastic is eco-friendly.

Scientists around the world working for the progressive development searching for substitute of fossil fuel derived plastic for sustainable development of the future environment. They are exploring the possibility of using different waste materials to produce the bio-based polymers.

India has a potential in the development of bioplastic market. Environmental awareness programs, easy availability of feedstock and government backing are boosting the bioplastic market. New products are coming in the market with the help of homemade technology.