Polylactic Acid: Unveiling the Environmental Secrets of "Biodegradable Green Plastic"

In today's era of escalating plastic pollution, the shadow of white waste has spread over the oceans, the soil, and even the air. Traditional plastics are made from petroleum and take hundreds of years to decompose. However, the emergence of polylactic acid (PLA) has brought a refreshing trend to the field of environmental-friendly materials. This new type of material, known as "degradable green plastic", is quietly changing the relationship between humans and plastics with its unique ecological advantages.

Turning straw into fuel oil? The "Two Institutes" of Zhejiang University in Quzhou are researching and promoting a very "green" fuel.

"Chew" in the straw, "spit out" the green energy. Straw, manure, garbage, waste cooking oil... These common biomass wastes in daily life can also make a comeback and transform into bio-based fuels, adding green energy to reduce emissions in aviation?

A team from Huazhong Agricultural University has developed a "straw-based fully biodegradable mulch film technology" that can precisely control the degradation cycle.

Recently, a team led by Professor Li Qiang from the College of Engineering at Huazhong Agricultural University and Hubei Hongshan Laboratory has focused on agricultural "white pollution" and developed a "straw-based fully biodegradable mulch film technology".

Research Status of Three Types of Biodegradable Plastic Films in China: Biodegradation, Photodegradation, and Liquid Plastic Films

In August 2024, scholars Chen Donghao and Zhao Wuyun from the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering College of Gansu Agricultural University published a research review in the journal "Forestry Machinery and Woodworking Equipment". They systematically summarized the current research status of the three mainstream types of biodegradable, photodegradable and liquid-based plastic films in China, providing a reference for solving the problem of residual plastic film pollution in farmland and promoting the upgrading of plastic film covering planting technology.

Science Popularization Knowledge - Decoding Polylactic Acid: Biodegradable Green Plastic

Plastic has transformed modern life, but its "convenience" has also brought a heavy environmental cost. Disposable packaging bags, lunch boxes and beverage bottles may remain in the natural environment for hundreds of years, causing serious white pollution. Faced with this problem, scientists have found a green alternative - polylactic acid (PLA), which, like polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), is also a biodegradable green plastic.

A Portuguese team has developed a fully biobased and biodegradable material, targeting its application in cosmetic packaging.

Recently, a research team from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria and other research institutions successfully developed a brand-new fully biobased and biodegradable material composite using PHBV, polylactic acid, chitosan, essential oils, bio-plasticizers and phycocyanin, specifically designed for cosmetic packaging applications. The related research results were published in Scientific Reports, a journal under the Nature group. This research is part of the NABIA and Embalagem do Futuro (Future Packaging) projects sponsored by the European Union and the Portuguese government.

Magic straw turns into polylactic acid: The new eco-friendly star is coming. Do you know about it?

Straw polylactic acid, though seemingly unfamiliar, actually holds immense technological and environmental value. It is a new type of biodegradable material made from agricultural and forestry waste such as straw through a series of complex and ingenious biotechnological conversions. This process not only ingeniously realizes the high-value utilization of straw resources but also opens up a new path for environmental protection.

China is actively promoting global efforts to address plastic pollution.

The picture is provided by the China Plastics Association.

【Science and Technology】A research team from Huazhong Agricultural University has pioneered a technology to solve the problem of "white pollution" in agriculture.

In August, Qichun County, Huanggang City, Hubei Province, entered the harvest season for ratoon rice. The golden waves of rice swayed with the wind, presenting a scene of abundant harvest.

Shanghai Plastics Association: How Biodegradable Plastics Can Play a Role in Creating a Shanghai Model for a Beautiful China

The "Decision of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress on Deeply Promoting Ecological Civilization Construction and Creating a Shanghai Model of a Beautiful China" (hereinafter referred to as the "Decision") will come into effect on September 1, 2025, fully demonstrating Shanghai's determination to advance ecological civilization construction.

15 minutes to get it done! Lignin turns waste into treasure, and the strength of the glue even exceeds commercial products.

On August 12th, a groundbreaking study was published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. The research team demonstrated for the first time that under normal pressure, microwave-driven catalysis can convert lignin into a phenolic mixture and successfully apply it to soy protein adhesives. The research was jointly completed by researchers from West Virginia University and North Carolina State University, opening up a new path for the high-value utilization of lignin.

How do biodegradable plastic bags degrade? A comprehensive analysis of the degradation process!

Why can biodegradable plastic bags "disappear" in nature while they are all plastic bags? Is the degradation process of biodegradable plastic bags a silent "environmental magic" or a reaction that requires specific conditions? For factory purchasers and catering practitioners, clarifying these questions is not only related to the product usage effect but also to the fulfillment of environmental protection commitments.

The global plastic treaty negotiations broke down, and representatives from many countries were very angry!

One side advocates that the treaty should restrict plastic production and phase out toxic chemicals, while the other side, represented by oil-producing countries, prefers to focus on waste management at the back end. The United States has also joined the latter camp.

The countdown to the 2025 plastic ban is on, and the development of green packaging is set to embrace a vast space.

As the year 2025 marks the deepening stage of the 14th Five-Year Plan, the government will continue to deepen supply-side structural reform and promote high-quality development, covering multiple aspects such as strengthening green and low-carbon transformation, encouraging technological innovation, and improving people's livelihood security. For green packaging, 2025 is also the year when various targets for restricting and banning plastic products are to be achieved.

Academician Tan Tianwei: The United States and Europe have positioned biomanufacturing as the core battlefield in the "21st-century economic sovereignty struggle."

The United States and Europe have positioned biomanufacturing as the core battlefield in the "21st-century economic sovereignty contest." McKinsey predicts that, in principle, 60% of the products in the market can be produced through biological manufacturing methods, which is expected to directly generate approximately 4 trillion US dollars in economic value in the next 10 to 20 years. It is projected that by the end of the 21st century, biological manufacturing is expected to create 30 trillion US dollars in economic value, accounting for one-third of the global manufacturing industry.

New Materials | Industry Overview

New materials are hailed as the "industrial grain" of modern industry, playing a crucial role as the underlying support in the waves of high-end manufacturing, energy revolution, and technological innovation. As the top-ranked strategic emerging industry in China's "14th Five-Year Plan", its core value lies not only in promoting the upgrading of traditional industries - through breakthroughs in material strength (such as carbon fiber tensile strength exceeding 3500MPa), the development of special functions (such as graphene's super-conductive thermal conductivity of 5300W/mK), and intelligent responses (such as the environmental adaptability of shape memory alloys) -

Biological manufacturing: The future is here. Are you ready?

While we are still discussing the "new quality productivity", have we noticed a silent yet powerful force that is quietly changing our world? It is - biomanufacturing. This term may sound a bit "high-end", but it has already permeated our daily lives. It can even be said that the future has arrived. Are you really ready?

Why must PLA have a place in the global plastic treaty?

As countries from around the world gather in August for the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) of the United Nations, the plastic treaty negotiations are at a turning point. Negotiators are tasked with formulating a treaty that will define the future of materials, trade, and waste management. However, amid the debates over bans and recycling targets, one key point must not be overlooked: solutions already exist and are ready to be scaled up.

The global plastic treaty negotiations resumed on August 5th, with the United States being an uncertain factor.

From August 5th to 14th, the global plastic treaty negotiations will be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva, aiming to achieve a goal that has yet to be realized: a legally binding global agreement to reduce plastic pollution.

Biodegradable PLA sandbags and sand barriers technology solves the sand control problem in the "Three North" region

Recently, the Chinese Academy of Forestry has identified the bottlenecks, key points, difficulties and pain points in ecological governance in the "Three North" region. Leveraging its mature and systematic technological advantages, it has compiled the "100 Practical Technical Achievements of the 'Three North' Project" collection, covering suitable and high-quality varieties, sand prevention and control technologies and models, ecological governance products and equipment, as well as industrial development strategies and plans. These achievements have been demonstrated and promoted in the relevant areas of the "Three North" project, and have achieved good ecological and economic benefits, providing strong scientific and technological support for winning the battle of the "Three North" project.