Finally a Greener Plastic: Arboform (Liquid wood)
Global warming and other environmental issues have made an impact all around the world. A simple walk around the neighborhood can show anybody the changes being made. There are more signs in parks that remind people to not litter. Community service groups such as boy scouts or youth groups are out picking up trash. Even big time corporations, often stereotyped as nature's enemy, are putting in an effort. Factories are practicing "green chemistry"; automobile companies are researching in hybrid cars. Despite this, many problems still exist in the world of environmental science. Plastic, a material used in many products, has been held responsible for the cause of everything from the green house effect to taking up a major part of the landfill. Fortunately, Tecnaro, a chemical company in Germany, has taken the initiative in constructing an environmentally friendly plastic.
Your browser may not support display of this image. This newly developed plastic is being called Arboform and is derived from a material called liquid wood. The idea for this bio-plastic came from utilizing the waste of the paper making business. This way it took advantage of wood’s stability and acoustical properties and plastic’s molding capability. Paper making companies separate wood into three different components: lignin, cellulose, and hemicelluloses. While cellulose and hemicelluloses is used in paper making, lignin is not. Instead scientists are extracting it through either a sulfite or sulfate based component and mixing the raw lignin with other natural materials such as wax and fibers of wood, hemp, or flex to create the liquid wood. Under high pressure, the composite material will act like melted plastic and be injected into a mold.
The bio-plastic, Arboform, overcomes many of the downside of conventional plastic. Conventional plastic has posed a serious environmental harm but was often used anyways due to its low cost of production. The main problem with the conventional plastic is getting rid of it. It is very durable but that also means it degrades very slowly naturally. Because it so hard to degrade, plastic often takes up huge amounts of space at a landfill. It is also a root source of littering and polluting the ocean. The accumulation of plastic in the water is so bad at North Pacific Gyre that it is nicknamed the, “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” The accumulation of plastic has been harmful to other organisms as well because conventional plastic consists of dangerous chemicals. Plastic also cannot be burnt because it would release toxic fumes into the air. Currently, plastic’s low cost may even be in question as many of it is constructed through petroleum and the cost of petroleum is on the rise. On the other hand, Arboform bypasses many of these problems as it is constructed from renewable organic materials. The liquid wood can be broken down into pieces and easily recycled. It can also be burned just like wood. Arboform is the perfect example of green chemistry. It is constructed through the waste of another product and afterwards, it can be broken down easily to be used as materials for a different product. It maintains the cycle.
Your browser may not support display of this image. Arboform has already been used to replace plastic in various products ranging from hi-fi speaker boxes to golf tees. The German scientists even managed to construct Nativity figurines just in time for Christmas. Unfortunately, Arboform has problems of its own. Products made of Arboform tend to have a high concentration of sulfur due to its use in separating lignin. While the sulfur does not pose a problem with most products, it does matter with toys. Toys are often thrown around, left in the weather, bitten, broken, and etc. Researchers need to make sure the sulfur or any other dangerous chemical will not be released after poor treatment before Arboform can be used to construct toys. Fortunately, scientists at Tecnaro are already making progress. They are using different methods to separate lignin without the use of sulfur chemicals. They are also applying high pressure hydrolysis to create insoluble lignin which will prevent it from breaking down due to saliva or water.
Arboform holds a promising future as an environmentally friendly replacement to the conventional plastic. It has already been proved to be sufficient for various products including watches and certain parts for a golf cart. Most importantly, it follows the idea behind green chemistry. It uses the waste of another product and later can be broken apart to be used for other products. It is constructed from renewable organic material and not petroleum. Many of its faults are being worked on and advances are being made. Problems such as the excess sulfur are being fixed. Despite this, like all new technology, it must be carefully used to replace plastic as it may have some unpredictable harmful effects to not only the environment but also to humans and other organisms as well.