Page 18 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 3 - Summer 2024

USING WOOD COMPONENTS TO MAKE BIOPLASTICS
Plastics, a major focus in the sustainability conversation, have traditionally been produced from petrochemical-derived polymers. However, they can also be derived from wood components, transforming them into more eco- friendly bioplastics. Producing polymers from wood products such as cellulose and lignin is not a novel concept, noted Meisha Shofner, a professor specializing in polymers at Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Material Science and Engineering.
“There are a few ways to use wood- based materials to make bioplastics. Those were basically the first polymers before we had chemicals that came from fossil fuels,” said Shofner. “We were mak- ing things from cellulose just like we’re trying to do now. The paper industry has been doing it well for a long time.”
Global efforts to reduce plastic waste have been central to the conversation around climate change, with recycling being a focal point of a potential solution. However, nearly half of all plastics pro- duced are single-use plastics — meaning they can’t be recycled due to their poly- mer structure. These plastics have the potential to remain in the environment
for centuries.
“If you consider the lifetime you need a
package for, you don’t need a plastic package that will last a thousand years. You need it to last long enough to get the object to where it needs to be,” said Shofner. “Opportunities to replace single-use plastics are very good. These are the kinds of materials that we really would like to replace with things that don’t persist in the environment for as long. Wood-based materials have a clear benefit and I think it’s easy for people to understand why that’s a benefit.”
Bioplastics have another, sometimes overlooked, benefit: their weight.
“We often put heavy fillers into plastics. If we are able to use wood-based materials,
“Opportunities to replace single-use
plastics are very good. These are the kinds
of materials that we really would like to
replace with things that don’t persist in
the environment for as long.”
— Meisha Shofner, Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology School of Material Science and Engineering
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