Delos Reyes, Joshua L.

12 STEM-Euclid

(1) Environmental impact of bioplastic use: A review

Atiwesh, G., Mikhael, A., Parrish, C. C., Banoub, J., & Le, T. T. (2021). Environmental impact of bioplastic use: A
review. Heliyon, 7(9), e07918. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07918

The environmental problems caused by discarded synthetic plastics have paved the way for the search for
substitutes. Bioplastics, which are both functionally similar to synthetic plastics and environmentally sustainable, are
touted as promising new materials to address these problems. Bioplastics is a term used to refer to plastics that (1)
are biodegradable, such as PCL or PBS; or (2) may or may not be degradable but are produced from biological
materials or renewable feedstock, such as starch, cellulose, vegetable oils, and vegetable fats. Like any other
polymeric material, the degradability of bioplastics is also a factor of their composition, degree of crystallinity and
environmental factors, leading to degradation times ranging from several days to several years. For these reasons,
the development of biodegradable bioplastics has gained attention in recent years

Paraphrasing

Bioplastics are one of the most promising inventions in today’s society. It is a term used for plastics that are
biodegradable or capable of being decomposed. Although not all materials which usually come from plants.
Bioplastics have bioplastics are biodegradable, it is still made of biodegradable become a substitute for synthetic
plastics in order to resolve the environmental issues caused it. Bioplastics and synthetic plastics are almost identical
to each other, but unlike synthetic ones, bioplastics are environment-friendly.

Summarizing

Bioplastics have been emphasized by a lot of people over the past few years. It is a term used for biodegradable
plastic that has the same function as synthetic plastics. It is made up of biodegradable materials found in plants
which makes it decompose easily. The development of bioplastics also resolves the environmental problems that
society is facing right now.

Direct Quotation

Bioplastics are still a questionable material for some people since it has gaps that have yet to be filled by scientists.
However, according to Atewish (2021), “Bioplastic… refers to plastics that are biodegradable or may or may not be
degradable but are produced from biological materials or renewable feedstock, such as starch, cellulose, vegetable
oils, and vegetable fats.” This suggests that not all bioplastics are degradable but all of them are produced form
biological materials making it environment-friendly. In addition to that, the same article asserted that “Bioplastics,
which are both functionally similar to synthetic plastics and environmentally sustainable, are touted as promising
new materials to address these [environmental] problems. For these reasons, the development of biodegradable
bioplastics has gained attention in recent years.” It shows that bioplastics are expected to be mass-produced in the
next few years since it is a greater material that the petroleum-based plastics that we are using nowadays.
(2) Microalgae biofuels: A critical review of issues, problems and the way forward

Lam, M. K., & Lee, K. T. (2012). Microalgae biofuels: A critical review of issues, problems and the way forward.
Biotechnology Advances, 30(3), 673-690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2011.11.008

Culturing of microalgae as an alternative feedstock for biofuel production has received a lot of attention in recent
years due to their fast growth rate and ability to accumulate high quantity of lipid and carbohydrate inside their cells
for biodiesel and bioethanol production, respectively. In addition, this superior feedstock offers several
environmental benefits, such as effective land utilization, CO2 sequestration, self-purification if coupled with
wastewater treatment and does not trigger food versus fuel feud. Despite having all these ‘theoretical’ advantages,
review on problems and issues related to energy balance in microalgae biofuel are not clearly addressed until now.
Base on the maturity of current technology, the true potential of microalgae biofuel towards energy security and its
feasibility for commercialization are still questionable.

Paraphrasing

Biofuel, unlike fossil fuels, can be produced in a short period of time. It is made of biomass such as plants or
agricultural biowaste. Over the past few years, the cultivation of microalgae for the production of biofuels has been
eyed by many people since it is a fast-growing plant. Using microalgae also produces multiple environmental
benefits, including efficient land use, lessening carbon dioxide, self-purification when combined with wastewater
treatment, and no food versus fuel conflict. Although it has a lot of advantages, microalgae biofuel has still yet to be
adequately addressed and has a lot of gaps that need to be filled.

Summarizing

Biofuel is a form of fuel made that is made of biomass such as plant and agricultural biowaste. Recently, culturing
microalgae as an alternative feedstock to produce biofuel has gathered the attention of many people. Based on
theory, microalgae biofuel has multiple environmental benefits. Despite all of that, it is still not addressed
adequately and a lot of questions regarding this topic have remained unanswered.

Direct Quotation

Culturing microalgae has a lot of advantages for society. According to Lam and Lee (2012), “this superior feedstock
[microalgae] offers several environmental benefits, such as effective land utilization, CO2 sequestration, self-
purification if coupled with wastewater treatment and does not trigger food versus fuel feud”. It shows that
microalgae will be a great help in the biofuel industry towards long-term sustainability without damaging the
environment, but instead, helping it to be better.