Biopolymers – Ingeo

Biopolymers are polymers derived from natural sources. One such example is Ingeo, which is derived from sugars produced by plants during the cycle of photosynthesis. Plants convert air, water, nutrients from the soil in presence of light to starch, which is the basic constituent of all fruits and vegetables. In an initial stage, Ingeo has been made from corn sugar, but can also be made from any natural sugar source. but can also be made from any natural sugar source.

It involves synthesizing this sugar into a resin, which is then converted into fiber and can be used for garments, personal care, appliances, and as a bio packaging material. This makes it a natural plastic, which is derived from 100% natural sources, and does not pollute the environment as its biodegradable, Ingeo uses less energy while being produced, which mean lesser emission of greenhouse gases.

Research is in progress to harness other sources of natural sugars, such as cellulose, agricultural waste, and other plant sources. The carbon footprint during the manufacture of Ingeo is estimated to be 60% less than that from ordinary PET synthesis and hence is Eco-friendly. This natural polymer can be used just as normal plastic resin in the manufacture of consumer goods, containers, films, cartoons, apparel, textiles, electronics, etc.

Let’s look in detail at how this is done.

Firstly, natural sugar is obtained from plant sources and is converted into lactic acid by special Microorganisms, which alter the chemical structure of sugar. These lactic acid molecules then link with each other to form long chains, similar to ester chains in normal plastics. These long chains are called Ingeo Polylactide polymer chains and are converted into pellets. These pellets form the starting point of its wide usage, and they can be molded into different shapes and sizes to create a versatile range of

products.

Now let us look at one more aspect of using plastics-which is disposing of plastic wastes. Conventional plastic goods are often burnt or end up in landfills which do pollute air and soil. They are also recycled and produced by new goods. With Ingeo, you can safely dispose of used plastics gods, as they are biodegradable, and do not pollute the environment. They also do not release toxic gases and can be easily incarcerated. Also, disposable utensils made from Ingeo can always be safely composted, which is one advantage over using normal plastics for disposable foodstuffs.

Ingeo can be made from natural sources, and do not require any genetically modified crops. They can be synthesized from natural plant sugars such as wheat, sugar beet, sugarcane, etc. Also, the current usage of corn for making Ingeo is only 0.05% of the total corn production, and hence does not affect the food cycle.

For more details on Ingeo, please access their site at www.naturalworksllc.com. You can also buy Ingeo pellets online, and can also find manufacturers who use Ingeo for their product ranges.