Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Biodegradable Plastic from Sugarcane

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 11 2009 (IPS) - Brazil will produce 200,000 tons a year of biodegradable plastic made from sugarcane. This raw material could be used to make fuel tanks for vehicles and containers for yogurt, milk, detergents and other products. The petrochemical company Braskem announced a project in early May for a 235-million-dollar factory to be built in southern Brazil and will require the initial input of 400 million liters of sugarcane alcohol.

This alternative plastic decomposes one year after being discarded, while the common sort of plastic, made from petroleum, takes 200 years to decompose.

The plant-based plastic is not completely “green” because it requires other inputs in its production that can contaminate, such as dyes, according to Felipe Amaral, coordinator of the Gaúcho Environmental Defense Movement. Also, “its degradation will release chemical substances,” he told Tierramérica.