Materials / Functional Plastics Products

Marine-Biodegradable Resins

Alternative to Petrochemical-Based Plastics

Most plastics that escape into the environment are carried by rivers and ultimately end up in the sea. The amount of plastic waste already in the sea is estimated to be 150 million tons, with at least 8 million tons of new waste added each year. Iwatani is making strides to offer plant-based marine-biodegradable resins for use in single-use plastic products such as drinking straws, shopping bags, cutlery, and food container packaging.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are materials formed from vegetable oils by a fermentation process using bacteria. With an appearance similar to plastics, they can be formed by combining over 150 different monomers. This is why, among plant-based materials, they show particularly high promise for a wide range of applications for which physical properties matter. They are decomposed by bacteria occurring naturally in seawater and soil, ultimately breaking down to CO₂ and water. Considered a carbon-neutral material, they generate zero net CO₂ when decomposed or incinerated, since the CO₂ produced is consumed by photosynthesis during growth of the source plants. Work is proceeding on development as an alternative to petrochemical-based plastic, particularly for disposable plastic items.