MUNDOMATERIAL

As I already mentioned in Bioplastics, there are two main types of renewable plastics: Identical chemistry to oil based plastics New chemistry Today I’m going to tell you a bit what’s being done to renew old plastics thanks to natural resources. Companies involved in the production of these plastics know very well the biggest advantage of their materials with respect to other bioplastics: direct substitution. Since their composition is the same as very common plastics, like PE or PU, they save users the need to adapt their processes. On the other hand, it only needs to be marketed as an improved product, of added value, in already existing markets. Great part of the job of bioplastics producers has being until recently to explain their products and find applications, more than selling sizeable amounts of it. For this reason, big polyolefin producers have already moved to add renewable products to their portfolio. Dow, I have already explained its growth and diversification... 
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Before I start, I would like to say that this post intends to be a brief introduction to the wide field of bioplastics, which I intend to discuss in more detail in the future. Let’s say that it’s a guide for those of you who are not familiar with this family of products. When talking about bioplastics, we usually refer to polymers sourced partial or totally from natural and renewable resources. Some of them have a different chemistry from already existing plastics while others are as common in their oil based form as polyolefins or polyurethane. Today I’m going to talk about the “new” ones; soon I’ll discuss how old plastics are renewing themselves thanks to plants. There are two main rivals at the moment in the bioplastics market: PLA, or polylactic acid, and starch based blends. Both are mainly sourced from corn, although any plant rich in starch or sugar can potentially be a viable source. They also share their capacity to biodegrade, a quality that... 
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