Nikolas Vostal
Disclaimer: This paper partially fulfills a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University Of Pittsburgh Swanson School Of Engineering. This paper is a student paper, not a professional paper. This paper is based on publicly available information and may not provide complete analyses of all relevant data. If this paper is used for any purpose other than this author’s partial fulfillment of a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University Of Pittsburgh Swanson School Of Engineering, users are doing so at their own risk.
THE BENEFITS OF GREEN AND NATURAL POLYMERS
Nikolas Vostal ()
Nikolas Vostal
THE THREAT AT HAND
If you look about your daily life, the luxuries of the 20th century are abundant. Everything from the internet to motor vehicles have become common place in society, to the point of codependence. One aspect in particular that often goes without thought is the sheer amount of polymers and plastics that get produced and used every single day. While many of these products can be recycled, just as many get thrown away in ignorance and eventually make their way to a trash heap or gather in large masses out in the ocean. In fact, off the coast of California, the largest plastic pile up in the history of the world consumes almost eight square miles of ocean. Because humans carelessly throw their used plastics away, it can eventually make its way toThe North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a circuit of four powerful currents in the Pacific Ocean [1]. Caught in the endless circuit, plastics sit there indefinitely because none of it biodegrades. Even worse, the sun breaks down the plastics into tiny particles through a process known as degradation. These particles end up destroying large parts of ecosystems because the plants and animals that consume and get caught in the debris often die. Not only does this threaten the destruction of millions of organisms, but petroleum based products are also extremely limited, and in years to come we may run out entirely. Petroleum based polymers are a problem for humans and the world and actions should be taken to move away from such vile products.
SOLUTIONS LOOKING FORWARD
Of course, there is no way to change the past mistakes of humans, but we can begin to make amends by moving past our dependence on petroleum based polymers. Luckily, new alternatives to petroleum based polymers are being researched and designed every day. These alternatives are what are known as natural polymers or green polymers because they are bio-degradable and naturally abundant. Usually based off of or taken straight from nature, natural polymers can be just as effective as synthetic polymers, and in some cases even better due to how they have developed in nature. The flip side of this is that natural polymers can often be more expensive than petroleum based polymers because they are harder to produce. However, because petroleum amounts are quickly dwindling, and natural polymers are becoming more cost efficient, this will not be as big of a problem in years to come. A few examples of great alternatives are cellulose,zealafoam, and shrilk. Cellulose is a polysaccharide, meaning it is made up of sugars, usually in the form of glucose, and easily biodegrades in nature. Also, cellulose is one of the most abundant organic compounds in the world, mostly because plants produce it. When polymerized (the process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains), cellulose has a number of uses, but is most known for its ability to make cellophane, a plastic that ismostly used in packaging [2].
Another great alternative in the packaging industry is a newer polymer called zealafoam. Zealafoam is a polystyrene (Styrofoam) replacement produced using corn-based polylactic acid [3]. First developed in New Zealand (hence the name), zealafoam is usually used “for the fish and aquaculture export industries, which need fish boxes to maintain their integrity throughout a 24–48 hour period” while not contaminating the fish [3]. In the future, zealafoam may very likely start to grow and consume the polystyrene market due to many of the aforementioned reasons.
While both the previous plastics are very innovative and eco-friendly, it proves difficult“to shape these materials into complex 3D shapes while providing the hardiness that is characteristic of conventional plastics” [4].This is where shrilk comes in. Shrilk is a biodegradable plastic produced from shrimp shells and silk proteins, also known as chitosan, that was recently developed by researchers at the Harvard’s Wyss Institute. Due to its relative strength as a 3D plastic, the applications for shrilk are numerous.In the future, shrilk may be useful in “creating implantable foams, films and scaffolds for surgical closure, wound healing, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine applications” [4]. With the discovery of such new and innovative polymers there continue to be large expanses into fields like medicine which benefit from their human-friendly traits.One example of this is the emerging field of Naturapolyceutics which studies“the emerging science and technology platform that blends natural polymers and pharmaceutics for the design and development of drug delivery systems” [5]. Simply, because natural polymers are less harmful to the human body than synthetic polymers, they can be used to deliver medicine to specific areas of the body that were once extremely difficult to reach.
HARAKEKE FIBER
One extremely interesting biopolymer that has been around for almost a decade, but has gained almost no international attention, is the harakeke fiber. Often mistaken as flax, harakeke is a lily that is native to New Zealand and whose fibers are comparable to that of fiberglass. When extracted, harakeke looks very similar to rope, but is unique because of its durability and aesthetically pleasing look. When combined with other bioplastics, such as polyactic acid, harakeke is very water resistant and sturdy, which has led to a number of applications such as surf boards, “boat cabinetry, automotive parts, kitchen or bathroom use and bench tops” [6]. While harakeke fiber could be a very versatile and sustainable material, not a single major industryhas tried to use it for production. This is mostly due to the large cost involved in developing the fiber, including the fact that the only machine that can produce it is in New Zealand. Also, while it is very sturdy, its “mechanical properties are not good enough to compete against glass fiber” [7]. While it may not stand up to the physical capabilities as fiberglass, it does have a beautiful pattern when finished that makes it look wooden in complexion. The Biopolymer Network, the company in New Zealand that produces harakeke fiber, is optimistic that harakeke fiber will eventually become a staple in biopolymers, but for now the expense just outweighs the profits.
CONCLUSION
Humanity as a whole has one goal, and that is to maintain our planet for as long as possible as a service to future generations. As is disgustingly evident by the amount of non-bio-degradable garbage in our trash heaps and in our oceans that something needs to change. If humanity doesn’t act swiftly, the repercussions could horrendously affect ecosystems to the point of mass extinctions of living organisms. On top of this, our world is running out of petroleum at an alarming rate, and alternatives to plastics will soon become more cost efficient anyways. Thus, the logical solution is to try and put an end to these problems and to start using more natural and green polymers. Not only do they help save the planet, they are more sustainable and will eventually be the way of the future, so why not start production as soon as possible?
The issue of eco-friendly polymers affects me greatly as an engineer because, not only do I want to be a Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Major, but I am also a huge nature lover. As a MSE, I will most likely be dealing with the materials that go into many different products, or may even be designing polymers myself. From a position like that, I feel as though it will be my duty to my customers and the planet to design products that take the enviroment into account. It would be naïve to say that I will only deal with eco-friendly plastics because petroleum based polymers are so abundant and useful, but I will try my hardest to incorporate green and natural polymers into whatever it is I’m creating. Hopefully, my contributions to the world can be measured in how long humanity is able to maintain stable living conditions on Earth.
SOURCES
[1] Society, N. G. (2012, October 09). Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from
[2] Bittar, K. (n.d.). Cellulose. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from
[3] University of Walkato. (2015, July 23). Biopolymer Network and Barnes Plastics – Zealafoam. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from
[4] Ingber, D. E., M.D., Ph.D. (2017, August 25). Shrilk Biodegradable Plastic. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from
[5] Ngwuluka, N.C.; Ochekpe, N.A.; Aruoma, O.I.Naturapolyceutics: The Science of Utilizing Natural Polymers for Drug Delivery. Polymers 2014, 6, 1312-1332.
[5] The Biopolymer Network. (n.d.). Harakeke Fibre. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from
[6]Newth, K. (n.d.). Focus on Harakeke. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS
My sole acknowledge for this paper was my high school Materials Science teacher who first introduced me to the world of polymers and plastics. She was also one of my biggest supporters in pursuing engineering and even considering coming to the Swanson School of Engineering in the first place.
1