Green Science Alliance Co., Ltd. Has Started Manufacturing Starch Based Biodegradable Plastic Composed Of 100 % Biomass Derived Materials

Kawanishi, Japan /PRNewswire/ - Recently, destroying ecology and the environment, plastic pollution is getting severe in the world and the microplastic problem in the marine environment is becoming a devastating issue. At the moment, it is said that over 150 million tons of plastic garbage exists in the ocean. As of the year 2010, 8 million tons of plastic garbage flowed into the ocean and in 2015 it was at 9.1 million tons and it keeps increasing. It is predicted that the amount of plastic garbage may become 850 - 950 million tons by 2050 whereas the amount of fish will be 812 - 899 millions tons, so that amount of garbage will be more than that of fish in the world. There are some scientific reports that these microplastics are already in our human body which comes from our surrounding environment. Therefore, plastic recycling, reduction of plastic usage itself, and biodegradable plastic usage and development, have been intensively attempted and carried out. In this regard, Dr. Ryohei Mori at Green Science Alliance Co., Ltd. has made starch based biodegradable plastic. Some of their biodegradable plastic is composed of 100% nature biomass derived materials. They have succeeded in making other ingredients besides starch that are also derived from nature. In addition, Green Science Alliance already has mixing technology to make nano cellulose and plastic composite masterbatch so that they can increase the mechanical strength, while keeping biodegradability, because nano cellulose is also biodegradable material. They will start small production and at the same time, keep improving plastic properties such as mechanical strength, heat durability and dimensional stability. They will also challenge to obtain biodegradability certificates from such authorities as Japan, USA, Europe and Asia region. Ultimately, Green Science Alliance will aim for creating starch based biodegradable plastic which will be biodegradable in the ocean.