TYPES OF PLASTICS USED TO PRODUCE FERTILIZERS.

BIOPLASTICS
Bioplastics are biodegradable materials that come from renewable sources. Bioplastics can be
chemically recycled into nitrogen-rich fertilizers in a facile and environmentally friendly way.
Bioplastics are plastic materials produced from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable
fats and oils, corn starch, straw, woodchips, sawdust, recycled food waste, etc. Some
bioplastics are obtained by processing directly from natural biopolymers including
polysaccharides (e.g., starch, cellulose, chitosan, and alginate) and proteins (e.g., soy protein,
gluten, and gelatin), while others are chemically synthesised from sugar derivatives (e.g.,
lactic acid) and lipids (oils and fats) from either plants or animals, or biologically generated
by fermentation of sugars or lipids. In contrast, common plastics, such as fossil-fuel plastics
(also called petro-based polymers) are derived from petroleum or natural gas.

PROCESS BY WHICH THESE BIOPLASTICS CAN BE CONVERTED TO

FERTILIZER
Poly (isosorbide carbonate) (PIC) is an example of bio-based plastics. PIC in particular is
made from a monomer called isosorbide (ISB), a non-toxic glucose byproduct. ISB can be
turned into fertilizer through a process called ammonolysis: Ammonia is used to separate the
carbon connecting the ISB monomers. This creates urea, which is a nitrogen-rich substance
that makes a popular fertilizer. While scientists have long been aware of ammonolysis, the
researchers sought to complete the reaction using as little energy and as few organic solvents
as possible. First, they tried the reaction in 30-degree-Celsius water at atmospheric pressure.
They were able to create urea, but the reaction was not complete within 24 hours and the PIC
had not fully degraded. However, they found that increasing the water temperature to 90
degrees Celsius led to a complete reaction within six hours.
To demonstrate the recycling system, the team reacted the synthesized carbonate with
aqueous ammonia and studied how it degraded. The cloudy plastic dispersion liquid became a
clear liquid. This indicates that the monomers linked by carbonate groups were separated by
the aqueous ammonia. In other words, degradation had occurred, converting the plastic into
monomers and urea. Aoki explained that, when the team optimized the reaction conditions for
the degradation of carbonates, they found that degradation using aqueous ammonia heated to
90°C was the most effective. Urea is one of the world's most important chemical compounds,
said to be sustaining half of the global population through its use as fertilizer. The research
team used the degraded components, including urea, and experimented with their effect on
plant growth. They investigated the growth of thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) under three
conditions—isosorbide only, urea only, and the whole degradation product—and found that
the thale cress given the whole degradation product grew the most.