Bioplastics, fostered on the market as a more sustainable solution with respect to fossil plastics, are addressed and assessed in this thesis, focusing on the issues concerning their management in waste treatment plants. First, the variety of bioplastics is presented, divided into three categories: biogenic-biodegradable, fossil-biodegradable and biogenic-non biodegradable (drop-in). Bioplastics are deeply described with a focus on their characteristics and manufacturing techniques, advantages and disadvantages, applications, and producers. Then, standards related to bioplastics are described, comprising the aerobic/anaerobic biodegradability and compostability, together with the certifications available for bioplastic products going into the market. Moreover, an overview on the bioplastic diffusion on the market is presented, first at the global level, with numbers and projections, followed by an analysis on the bioplastic packaging and products present in the mass retailers in Italy. A special attention is dedicated to labels used on such items to express the nature of the material they are composed of and the suggested end-of-life. Afterwards, studies from literature on bioplastic impacts on the plastic recycling line and on the industrial biological treatment plants are presented. Then, results on a study about the biodegradability of bioplastics are reported. It considered the following different environments: controlled aerobic and anaerobic environments, home composting and non-controlled environment such as fresh water, sea water, and soil. Then, an overview of the waste management system in Italy is reported, followed by the presentation of the data collected from questionnaires related to some of the waste treatment plants in Italy, which have mainly gathered information about the quantity of bioplastics in entrance to the plant and the action taken to properly handle them. Finally, the importance of a well-done communication for the correct management of bioplastics at the end of their useful life is discussed.
Il lavoro di tesi si propone di analizzare e valutare le bioplastiche, presenti sul mercato come alternativa più sostenibile alla plastica fossile, con un’attenzione specifica al loro impatto negli impianti di gestione e trattamento rifiuti. Innanzitutto, esse sono divise e presentate in tre grandi gruppi: bioplastiche biogeniche e biodegradabili, bioplastiche fossili e biodegradabili e bioplastiche biogeniche non biodegradabili. Di ciascuna delle bioplastiche trattate sono stati approfonditi i seguenti aspetti: caratteristiche del polimero e tecniche di lavorazione, vantaggi e svantaggi, applicazioni e aziende produttrici. In seguito, sono presentate le normative correlate alle bioplastiche quali lo standard sulla biodegradabilità aerobica e anaerobica e sulla compostabilità e le certificazioni disponibili per i prodotti e imballaggi sul mercato. È quindi presentato un approfondimento sulla diffusione delle bioplastiche sul mercato sia a livello mondiale, corredato da numeri e proiezioni, sia a livello nazionale tramite l’esposizione dei prodotti censiti sul campo in alcune delle più importanti catene della grande distribuzione organizzata in Italia. Di questi, sono evidenziate le informazioni riportate sulle etichette, soffermandosi sulle tipologie di materiale di cui i prodotti sono composti e sul fine vita suggerito. Successivamente, sono riportati studi di letteratura riguardanti l’impatto delle bioplastiche negli impianti di riciclo della plastica e negli impianti di trattamento biologico. Inoltre, sono mostrati i risultati di studi effettuati sulla biodegradabilità delle bioplastiche in ambienti differenti: ambienti controllati aerobico e anaerobico, ambiente domestico e ambienti non controllati come acque dolci, mare e suolo. A questo segue una panoramica sugli impianti di gestione e trattamento rifiuti in Italia, seguita dalla presentazione dei dati raccolti dai questionari relativi ad alcuni degli impianti di trattamento rifiuti in Italia, dai quali sono state elaborate informazioni riguardo la quantità di bioplastica in ingresso ai rispettivi impianti e le azioni intraprese per la loro gestione. Infine, un approfondimento è dedicato all’importanza della comunicazione per la corretta gestione delle bioplastiche al termine della loro vita utile.
Bioplastics : their presence in the market and their impacts on waste treatment plants
Sora, Giulia
2019/2020
Abstract
Bioplastics, fostered on the market as a more sustainable solution with respect to fossil plastics, are addressed and assessed in this thesis, focusing on the issues concerning their management in waste treatment plants. First, the variety of bioplastics is presented, divided into three categories: biogenic-biodegradable, fossil-biodegradable and biogenic-non biodegradable (drop-in). Bioplastics are deeply described with a focus on their characteristics and manufacturing techniques, advantages and disadvantages, applications, and producers. Then, standards related to bioplastics are described, comprising the aerobic/anaerobic biodegradability and compostability, together with the certifications available for bioplastic products going into the market. Moreover, an overview on the bioplastic diffusion on the market is presented, first at the global level, with numbers and projections, followed by an analysis on the bioplastic packaging and products present in the mass retailers in Italy. A special attention is dedicated to labels used on such items to express the nature of the material they are composed of and the suggested end-of-life. Afterwards, studies from literature on bioplastic impacts on the plastic recycling line and on the industrial biological treatment plants are presented. Then, results on a study about the biodegradability of bioplastics are reported. It considered the following different environments: controlled aerobic and anaerobic environments, home composting and non-controlled environment such as fresh water, sea water, and soil. Then, an overview of the waste management system in Italy is reported, followed by the presentation of the data collected from questionnaires related to some of the waste treatment plants in Italy, which have mainly gathered information about the quantity of bioplastics in entrance to the plant and the action taken to properly handle them. Finally, the importance of a well-done communication for the correct management of bioplastics at the end of their useful life is discussed.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/174319