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A Review: Comparison Between Production of Conventional Plastics and Cactus Plastics: Nontoxic to Plants and Animals
Summary
This review compares the environmental and toxicological profiles of conventional petroleum-derived plastics against cactus-based bioplastics developed by Dr. Sandra Pascoe Ortiz using prickly pear (Opuntia) extract, highlighting that conventional plastics release toxic chemicals during production and degradation over centuries. The cactus-derived alternative is presented as a non-toxic, biodegradable material safe for ingestion by animals and humans, with the potential to reduce plastic pollution and associated environmental harms.
Globally, plastics have vast applications, and day-to-day life has been growing in plastic production and use from the 1950âs till now. These plastics were made from different polymers, chemicals, solvents; adhesives, etc. are very dangerous to the humans and animals by pollution caused by them. During production and decaying of plastics (takes nearly hundred to thousand years) releases various chemicals leads to plastic pollution, ozone layer depletion, rise in chemical gases in the environment etc. To overcome these pollution crisis, Dr. Sandra Pascoe Ortiz have started production of plastics with prickly pear cactus plant. This material is completely non-toxic, and all the materials used could be ingested by animals or humans, which do not cause any harm. The cactus plant is widely spread by propagation technique in deserts belonging to the US Department of Agricultureâ (USDA) Hardiness zones (zone 2) and easily cultivated nearby homes. This prospective study states that the cactus plant material is the best material for the production of plastics when compared with other materials with advantages of rapid biodegradability (3 months or within a few weeks in water), nontoxic and also non-risk to humans or animals.