The Hindu Business Line : Corn: The plastic alternative

The sustained campaign against petroleum-based plastics has made manufacturers in the US look at new, renewable raw materials for a range of everyday items. Plastic made from corn derivatives is one such material that is generating widespread interest.

More and more American citizens are moving towards earth-friendly products and activities that promote green concepts, subscribing — with steadily increasing zeal — to what environmentalists have been advocating for years. At a recent conference in Portland (Oregon), discussions converged on ways to encourage sustainability and suggest ways of leading a low-impact life, in which work-hours could be cut back to provide more leisure time, material comforts partly sacrificed to enable the pursuit of lasting human values and, most significantly, the total dependence on automobiles avoided, at least for one day a week.

Ideas on re-use, redemption of discarded or worn out materials, and recycling of a growing list of items are now directed to diverse research schemes and development projects. As a result, incredible changes are taking place, especially in house-building and the packaging industry.

Campaign Against Plastics

From the time petroleum-based plastics arrived on the scene in the early years of the last century, they have rapidly spread to permeate every aspect of modern civilization. This poses a serious challenge to manufacturing industries today and has raised several concerns among the public. For, an unwelcome plastic culture has taken firm roots in everyday life, especially in the US.

From innocuous book-wrappers and colourful jugs to gigantic water tanks and home swimming pools, from the indispensable carry-bags and light cartons to moulded furniture and building items, and from children's toys to an amazing array of auto and electronic components, plastics have all but displaced such materials as paper, cardboard, glass and steel.

As a consequence of the widespread applications, the garbage arising from items of plastic, basically a non-biodegradable material, began swelling to unmanageable proportions, creating new problems for city and town administrators.

It was but inevitable that some recycling methods would be thought of to overcome the menace that threatened the global environment by its sheer magnitude. Organised collection of cans, bags, bottles, containers and discarded plastic items of every description soon gained momentum in each city or town and contributed to the success of a hitherto unknown industry — "recycling".

Corn Plastics

Amidst the havoc created by the ubiquitous plastics with their harmful effects on the environment and on human health, the arrival of a new kind of plastic container on the shelves of a major grocery retailer in the US North-West has kindled hopes among eco-conscious customers.

The container is made of a corn-derived version of plastic claimed to be bio-degradable and cheaper to produce than petroleum-based products. The material is manufactured by a process that involves fermentation of the natural sugars from a widely grown corn variety.

Although it is too early to expect any major effect on the market, the new product would surely generate considerable interest, and the demand for bio-degradable containers may exceed all estimates. It may not be a surprise if corn plastic replaces all other forms of packaging in the next 10 years.

Some drawbacks listed below are, however, likely to obstruct smooth sailing for the debutant.

Although bio-degradable, corn plastic products cannot go into the home compost bin as the decomposition needs elevated temperatures around 280 degrees F; they have, therefore, to be routed to collecting centres, from where bulk quantities would be forwarded to recognised compost-makers.

This non-fossil fuel plastic cannot be used in microwave ovens or dishwashers, making this limitation a serious factor in its acceptance. Use of corn plastic containers is restricted to cold substances as hot foods or drinks can melt them.

As neither recycling nor disposal into land-fill is possible, personal attention is needed in properly segregating the garbage and diverting it to the collection centres.

Support From Business

Some large business enterprises, as a policy, have begun extending support for research schemes and development projects aimed at benefiting the environment. Portland city is the base of a unique movement called the "Better World Club", which concentrates on eliminating release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, especially from boilers, commercial flights and road transport.

A programme for "carbon offset", meant to regulate exhaust emissions, is being sponsored by a few travel agencies. The following are the typical areas where companies are vying with one another to improve their surroundings:

Achieving higher energy efficiency.

Conserving water resources.

Reducing wastage in using water.

Locating a substitute fuel to replace gasoline.

Developing earth-friendly materials to eradicate the evil of plastics.

Industrialists and some optimistic environmental groups are eagerly awaiting the introduction, within the next two decades, of amazingly effective systems for utilities and non-polluting materials for general applications, all of which would make the world a better place to live in.

(The author is a Chennai-based freelance writer.)

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