Replacing Traditional Plastics with Biodegradable Plastics: Impact on Carbon Emissions
Guanyi Chen,
Jianyuan Li,
Yunan Sun,
Zhi Wang,
Gary A. Leeke,
Christian Moretti,
Zhanjun Cheng,
Yuan Wang,
Ning Li,
Lan Mu,
Jinyu Li,
Junyu Tao,
Beibei Yan,
Li'an Hou
Affiliations
Guanyi Chen
Interdisciplinary Innovation Lab for Environment and Energy, School of Mechanical Engineering & School of Biotechnology and Food Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China; School of Ecology and Environment, Tibet University, Lhasa 850012, China
Jianyuan Li
Interdisciplinary Innovation Lab for Environment and Energy, School of Mechanical Engineering & School of Biotechnology and Food Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China
Yunan Sun
Interdisciplinary Innovation Lab for Environment and Energy, School of Mechanical Engineering & School of Biotechnology and Food Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomass, Wastes Utilization, Tianjin Engineering Research Center for Organic Wastes Safe Disposal and Energy Utilization, Tianjin 300072, China; Corresponding authors.
Zhi Wang
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Gary A. Leeke
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Christian Moretti
Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich CH-8092, Switzerland
Zhanjun Cheng
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomass, Wastes Utilization, Tianjin Engineering Research Center for Organic Wastes Safe Disposal and Energy Utilization, Tianjin 300072, China
Yuan Wang
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Ning Li
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomass, Wastes Utilization, Tianjin Engineering Research Center for Organic Wastes Safe Disposal and Energy Utilization, Tianjin 300072, China
Lan Mu
Interdisciplinary Innovation Lab for Environment and Energy, School of Mechanical Engineering & School of Biotechnology and Food Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China
Jinyu Li
Interdisciplinary Innovation Lab for Environment and Energy, School of Mechanical Engineering & School of Biotechnology and Food Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China
Junyu Tao
Interdisciplinary Innovation Lab for Environment and Energy, School of Mechanical Engineering & School of Biotechnology and Food Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China
Beibei Yan
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomass, Wastes Utilization, Tianjin Engineering Research Center for Organic Wastes Safe Disposal and Energy Utilization, Tianjin 300072, China
Li'an Hou
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China; Corresponding authors.
In recent years, a great deal of attention has been focused on the environmental impact of plastics, including the carbon emissions related to plastics, which has promoted the application of biodegradable plastics. Countries worldwide have shown high interest in replacing traditional plastics with biodegradable plastics. However, no systematic comparison has been conducted on the carbon emissions of biodegradable versus traditional plastic products. This study evaluates the carbon emissions of traditional and biodegradable plastic products (BPPs) over four stages and briefly discusses environmental and economic perspectives. Four scenarios—namely, the traditional method, chemical recycling, industrial composting, and anaerobic digestion—are considered for the disposal of waste BPPs (WBPPs). The analysis takes China as a case study. The results show that the carbon emissions of 1000 traditional plastic products (plastic bags, lunch boxes, cups, etc.) were 52.09–150.36 carbon emissions equivalent of per kilogram (kg CO2eq), with the stage of plastic production contributing 50.71%–50.77%. In comparison, 1000 similar BPPs topped out at 21.06–56.86 kg CO2eq, approximately 13.53%–62.19% lower than traditional plastic products. The difference was mainly at the stages of plastic production and waste disposal, and the BPPs showed significant carbon reduction potential at the raw material acquisition stage. Waste disposal plays an important role in environmental impact, and composting and anaerobic digestion are considered to be preferable disposal methods for WBPPs. However, the high cost of biodegradable plastics is a challenge for their widespread use. This study has important reference significance for the sustainable development of the biodegradable plastics industry.
