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http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/8933
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DC Field | Value | Language |
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dc.contributor.author | Song, JH | - |
dc.contributor.author | Murphy, RJ | - |
dc.contributor.author | Narayan, R | - |
dc.contributor.author | Davies, GBH | - |
dc.date.accessioned | 2014-08-19T13:52:09Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2014-08-19T13:52:09Z | - |
dc.date.issued | 2009 | - |
dc.identifier.citation | Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 2127 - 2139, 2009 | en_US |
dc.identifier.issn | 0962-8436 | - |
dc.identifier.uri | http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/364/1526/2127 | en |
dc.identifier.uri | http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/8933 | - |
dc.description | This article is available open access through the publisher’s website at the link below. Copyright @ 2009 The Royal Society. | en_US |
dc.description.abstract | Packaging waste forms a significant part of municipal solid waste and has caused increasing environmental concerns, resulting in a strengthening of various regulations aimed at reducing the amounts generated. Among other materials, a wide range of oil-based polymers is currently used in packaging applications. These are virtually all non-biodegradable, and some are difficult to recycle or reuse due to being complex composites having varying levels of contamination. Recently, significant progress has been made in the development of biodegradable plastics, largely from renewable natural resources, to produce biodegradable materials with similar functionality to that of oil-based polymers. The expansion in these bio-based materials has several potential benefits for greenhouse gas balances and other environmental impacts over whole life cycles and in the use of renewable, rather than finite resources. It is intended that use of biodegradable materials will contribute to sustainability and reduction in the environmental impact associated with disposal of oil-based polymers. The diversity of biodegradable materials and their varying properties makes it difficult to make simple, generic assessments such as biodegradable products are all ‘good’ or petrochemical-based products are all ‘bad’. This paper discusses the potential impacts of biodegradable packaging materials and their waste management, particularly via composting. It presents the key issues that inform judgements of the benefits these materials have in relation to conventional, petrochemical-based counterparts. Specific examples are given from new research on biodegradability in simulated ‘home’ composting systems. It is the view of the authors that biodegradable packaging materials are most suitable for single-use disposable applications where the post-consumer waste can be locally composted. | en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship | EPSRC | en_US |
dc.language | English | - |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dc.publisher | The Royal Society | en_US |
dc.subject | Biodegradable | en_US |
dc.subject | Compostable | en_US |
dc.subject | Biopolymers | en_US |
dc.subject | Packaging | en_US |
dc.subject | Environment | en_US |
dc.subject | Waste management | en_US |
dc.title | Biodegradable and compostable alternatives to conventional plastics | en_US |
dc.type | Article | en_US |
dc.identifier.doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0289 | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/Brunel Staff by College/Department/Division | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/Brunel Staff by College/Department/Division/College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/Brunel Staff by College/Department/Division/College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences/Dept of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/Brunel Staff by College/Department/Division/College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences/Dept of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering/Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/Brunel Staff by Institute/Theme | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/Brunel Staff by Institute/Theme/Institute of Materials and Manufacturing | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/Brunel Staff by Institute/Theme/Institute of Materials and Manufacturing/Materials Characterisation and Processing | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/University Research Centres and Groups | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/University Research Centres and Groups/Brunel Business School - URCs and Groups | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/University Research Centres and Groups/Brunel Business School - URCs and Groups/Centre for Research into Entrepreneurship, International Business and Innovation in Emerging Markets | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/University Research Centres and Groups/School of Health Sciences and Social Care - URCs and Groups | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/University Research Centres and Groups/School of Health Sciences and Social Care - URCs and Groups/Brunel Institute for Ageing Studies | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/University Research Centres and Groups/School of Health Sciences and Social Care - URCs and Groups/Brunel Institute of Cancer Genetics and Pharmacogenomics | - |
pubs.organisational-data | /Brunel/University Research Centres and Groups/School of Health Sciences and Social Care - URCs and Groups/Centre for Systems and Synthetic Biology | - |
Appears in Collections: | Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dept of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Research Papers |
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Notice.pdf | 41.23 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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