In recent decades, an increasing attention to sustainable production has implied a change in our habits and in the use of certain materials and products. An example above all is represented by bioplastics. Everyone can see how, from bags, to bottles to packaging, bioplastic is gradually taking over plastic. The main environmental problems of traditional plastics are linked to the demand for oil, from which it derives and from incorrect recycling. Every year, it is estimated that 11 billion tons of plastic waste enters the world ocean, a particularly significant figure for areas of Southeast Asia. To date, many studies have highlighted the positive aspects in the use of bioplastics, but a careful hydrological analysis is still lacking. The production of bioplastic derives in fact from agricultural production, and this requires the use of water and fertile soil. This can create in the use of these resources, continuously exacerbated by a continuous increase in their demand following the increase in the population, the change of diet, energy policies. In this thesis we evaluate NEXUS in resource use for bioplastic production, focusing our attention on Thailand, a country that has plans to further increase bioplastic production in the coming years. After assessing the demand for bioplastics, two different production scenarios were considered, namely the intensification and expansion of crops. For each of the scenarios, the land and water necessary for its production and the related impacts were quantified through the water scarcity index. It immediately emerged that in Thailand it is not possible to expand agricultural areas since there are no more areas available without deforestation stress, so the only possibility to expand production is that of intensification. As inputs in the agricultural sector increase, it is possible to increase production on areas already cultivated. The same production can therefore be obtained on a smaller area, so the remaining part can be used for different purposes, such as the production of bioplastic. In this scenario, we have been estimated 6.58〖km〗^3 of additional blue water needed for bioplastic production. With this increase in demand, the water scarcity situation worsens in central and southern part of the country, affecting at least 10 million people living in those areas.
Negli ultimi decenni una sempre maggiore attenzione ad una produzione sostenibile ha implicato il cambiamento nelle nostre abitudini e nell’uso di determinati materiali e prodotti. Un esempio su tutti è rappresentato dalla bioplastica. E’ sotto gli occhi di tutti di come, dai sacchetti, alle bottiglie agli imballaggi la bioplastica stia man mano prendendo il sopravvento sulla plastica tradizionale. I principali problemi ambientali della plastica tradizionale sono legati alla richiesta di petrolio, da cui deriva, e da un non corretto riciclo. Ogni anno si stima che 13 millioni di tonnellate di plastica entrano negli oceani alla scala globale, un dato particormente rilevante per le zone del sud-east asiatico. Ad oggi molti studi hanno evidenziato gli aspetti positivi nell’uso della bioplastica, ma manca ancora un’attenta analisi idrologica. La produzione di bioplastica deriva infatti dalla produzione agricola e questa richiede l’utilizzo di acqua e suolo fertile. Questo può creare competizione nell’uso di tali risorse, continuamente esacerbate da un continuo aumento nella loro domanda conseguente all’aumento della popolazione, al cambio della dieta, alle politiche energetiche. In questa tesi si valuta il NEXUS nell’uso delle risorse per la produzione di bioplastica, focalizzando l’attenzione sulla Thailandia, un paese che ha pianificato di aumentare notevolmente la produzione di bioplastica nei prossimi anni. Dopo aver valutato la domanda di bioplastica, due diversi scenari produttivi sono stati presi in considerazione, namely crop intensification and crop expansion. Per ciascuno degli scenari si è proceduto a quantificare la terra e l’acqua necessarie per la sua produzione ed i relativi impatti attraverso l’indice di water scarcity. E’ emerso che in Thailandia non è possibile espandere le aree agricole non avendo più aree disponibile senza causare deforestazione, per cui l’unica possibilità per espandere la produzione è quella dell’intensificazione. Aumentando gli input nel settore agricolo è possibile aumentare la produzione sulle aree già coltivate. Una stessa produzione può quindi essere ottenuta su un’area minore, per cui la rimanente parte può essere usati per scopi diversi, quale la produzione di bioplastica. In questo scenario, si sono stati stimati 6.58〖km〗^3 of additional blue water necessari per la produzione di bioplastica. A fronte di tale aumento nella domanda, la situazione di water scarcity peggiora in centro e nel sud del paese, colpendo 10 million persone che vivono in quelle aree
The enviromental impacts of bioplastic production. A case study from Thailand
Ktaish, Adeeb
2020/2021
Abstract
In recent decades, an increasing attention to sustainable production has implied a change in our habits and in the use of certain materials and products. An example above all is represented by bioplastics. Everyone can see how, from bags, to bottles to packaging, bioplastic is gradually taking over plastic. The main environmental problems of traditional plastics are linked to the demand for oil, from which it derives and from incorrect recycling. Every year, it is estimated that 11 billion tons of plastic waste enters the world ocean, a particularly significant figure for areas of Southeast Asia. To date, many studies have highlighted the positive aspects in the use of bioplastics, but a careful hydrological analysis is still lacking. The production of bioplastic derives in fact from agricultural production, and this requires the use of water and fertile soil. This can create in the use of these resources, continuously exacerbated by a continuous increase in their demand following the increase in the population, the change of diet, energy policies. In this thesis we evaluate NEXUS in resource use for bioplastic production, focusing our attention on Thailand, a country that has plans to further increase bioplastic production in the coming years. After assessing the demand for bioplastics, two different production scenarios were considered, namely the intensification and expansion of crops. For each of the scenarios, the land and water necessary for its production and the related impacts were quantified through the water scarcity index. It immediately emerged that in Thailand it is not possible to expand agricultural areas since there are no more areas available without deforestation stress, so the only possibility to expand production is that of intensification. As inputs in the agricultural sector increase, it is possible to increase production on areas already cultivated. The same production can therefore be obtained on a smaller area, so the remaining part can be used for different purposes, such as the production of bioplastic. In this scenario, we have been estimated 6.58〖km〗^3 of additional blue water needed for bioplastic production. With this increase in demand, the water scarcity situation worsens in central and southern part of the country, affecting at least 10 million people living in those areas.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/179294