Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Discussion about suitable applications for biodegradable plastics regarding their sources, uses and end of life

Researchers critically evaluated the scientific basis for biodegradable plastics as a solution to plastic pollution, concluding that no plastic biodegrades universally across all ecosystems, that treating the environment as a waste treatment system is unacceptable, and that compostable plastics require dedicated collection infrastructure to deliver on their environmental promise.

2022 Waste Management 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastics Versus Bioplastics

This review contrasts conventional petroleum-based plastics with bioplastics, examining the limitations of recycling, the persistence of conventional plastics in the environment, and the potential of biopolymers to reduce plastic pollution.

2021 Materials research foundations 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Are biodegradable plastics a promising solution to solve the global plastic pollution?

This review examines whether biodegradable plastics are a viable solution to global plastic pollution and finds the answer is complicated. Researchers note that most biodegradable plastics require specific environmental conditions to break down and cannot yet replace most conventional plastics. The study concludes that while biodegradable plastics may be part of the solution, they should not be seen as a free pass for continued overconsumption, since littering behavior does not change simply because a material is labeled biodegradable.

2020 Environmental Pollution 595 citations
Article Tier 2

Petroleum-Based Plastics Versus Bio-Based Plastics: A Review

This review compares petroleum-based plastics with bio-based alternatives, examining the environmental drawbacks of conventional plastics that persist in the environment for long periods. Researchers discuss how bioplastics offer a more sustainable option, as they can be derived from renewable sources and are often biodegradable. The study emphasizes the need to shift toward bioplastics to reduce the accumulating environmental burden of plastic waste.

2023 Nature Environment and Pollution Technology 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastics, Bioplastics and Water Pollution

This review synthesizes what is known about microplastic occurrence in aquatic systems and assesses whether bioplastics and biodegradable materials could meaningfully reduce plastic pollution. It concludes that while bioplastics hold promise, their environmental fate varies widely and they are not a simple solution without improved waste management infrastructure.

2023
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Different Types of Bioplastics through Composting—A Recent Trend in Green Recycling

This review examines the biodegradation of various bioplastics through composting and other environments. Researchers found that while bioplastics offer a promising sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics, their degradation rates are highly dependent on environmental conditions, and concerns remain about their leakage into the environment and long degradation timeframes during waste management.

2023 Catalysts 125 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Impact of Biopolymer-Based and Conventional Plastic Packaging in Food Engineering Applications

This review compares plant-based biodegradable packaging materials with traditional plastics like PET and HDPE used in food packaging. While bioplastics produce fewer carbon emissions and break down more easily, they still face cost and performance challenges. The study matters because conventional plastic packaging is a major source of microplastic pollution in the environment.

2025 Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Sustainability in Engineering Sciences 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioplastics and the environment: Solution or Green Illusion?

This review critically evaluates whether bioplastics are genuinely environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional plastics, finding that many bioplastics degrade incompletely under real-world conditions, form persistent microplastic fragments, and may pose ecological risks comparable to conventional plastics.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Plastics
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable plastics in the marine environment: a potential source of risk?

This review examines whether biodegradable plastics offer a genuine solution to marine plastic pollution, finding that their environmental behavior depends heavily on specific conditions and that they may still pose risks in marine environments where decomposition is slow.

2022 Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Benefits and Drawbacks of Bioplastic as an Alternative of Conventional Plastic towards Sustainable Plastic T

This review examines bioplastics derived from renewable biomass sources (such as corn starch, vegetable oils, and food waste) as sustainable alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics, evaluating their benefits and drawbacks across environmental performance, biodegradability, and scalability. The article explores whether bioplastics represent a viable pathway toward more sustainable plastic use given growing concerns over the non-biodegradable nature and resource intensity of conventional plastics.

2024 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRIWORLD
Article Tier 2

Exploring biopolymer degradation: Environmental effects and future insights

This review examines how biopolymers degrade in the environment and evaluates their potential as sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics. While biopolymers offer environmental benefits like reduced pollution, the study notes challenges including slower-than-expected degradation in natural settings, potential microplastic generation, and the need for better standardized testing and supportive policies.

2026 Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Bioplastics: Application and Biodegradation

This review examines recent advances in bioplastics — including their applications in packaging, agriculture, and medicine — and critically evaluates their actual biodegradation performance in both natural and industrial environments, finding a significant gap between claims and real-world outcomes.

2020 Polymers 376 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable Polymers: The Future of Sustainable Plastic Alternatives

This review examines biodegradable polymers as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, evaluating their potential to reduce microplastic pollution and ecological degradation. The authors assess the performance, environmental fate, and scalability of current biodegradable materials, identifying key challenges for widespread adoption across packaging and consumer product applications.

2025 Scriptora International Journal of Research and Innovation (SIJRI)
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable plastics: Green hope or greenwashing?

This review examines biodegradable plastics and their limitations, finding that many do not break down effectively under real-world environmental conditions and may still fragment into microplastics. The authors caution that biodegradable plastics should not be viewed as a simple solution to plastic pollution without better standards and end-of-life infrastructure.

2020 Marine pollution bulletin
Article Tier 2

Exploration of Bioplastics: A Review

This review assessed bioplastics as alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, covering their production, properties, biodegradability, and limitations as a solution to plastic pollution. While bioplastics offer reduced fossil fuel dependence, the authors noted that many only degrade under industrial composting conditions and are not a complete solution to environmental plastic accumulation.

2022 Oriental Journal Of Chemistry 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Are bioplastics the solution to the plastic pollution problem?

This review examines whether bioplastics can meaningfully reduce plastic pollution, concluding that while bioplastics offer some advantages, they are not a straightforward solution because many require industrial composting conditions and their environmental benefits depend heavily on end-of-life management.

2023 PLoS Biology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential environmental impacts of bioplastic degradation in natural marine environments: A comprehensive review

This review examines the environmental impacts of biodegradable plastics degrading in marine environments, finding that their microscale breakdown raises significant concerns about contributing to microplastic pollution rather than eliminating it. The authors conclude that biodegradable plastics require reevaluation as petroleum-based plastic substitutes given the incomplete understanding of their behavior at the microscale in marine ecosystems.

2025 Marine Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Comparing environmental fate and ecotoxicity of conventional and biodegradable plastics: A critical review

This review compares biodegradable and conventional plastics and finds that biodegradable plastics do not always fully break down under natural conditions -- instead they often fragment into microplastics and release chemical additives, similar to conventional plastics. Both types can absorb pollutants from the environment and cause toxic effects in living organisms, challenging the assumption that biodegradable plastics are a safe alternative.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Prospective Biodegradable Plastics from Biomass Conversion Processes

This review surveys the potential of plant biomass as a source of biodegradable plastic alternatives, covering different types of bioplastics and their production processes. Replacing petroleum-based plastics with biodegradable bio-based materials would significantly reduce persistent microplastic pollution.

2018 InTech eBooks 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Wasted Bioplastics

This paper provides a broad overview of bioplastics — materials made from renewable biological sources — discussing their potential as a partial solution to global plastic pollution and the complexity of their biodegradability. While microplastic accumulation in oceans is mentioned as context for the urgency of the problem, the paper's focus is on bioplastic production and biodegradation rather than microplastic health or environmental impacts.

2023 World Science 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Review on the Biological Degradation of Polymers in Various Environments

This review provides an overview of how biodegradable plastics degrade under different environmental conditions including soil, freshwater, marine, and composting environments. It finds that biodegradability is a material property strongly dependent on environmental conditions, and that many so-called biodegradable plastics degrade far more slowly in nature than in controlled test conditions.

2020 Materials 196 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable Plastics: Standards, Policies, and Impacts

This review evaluates the promise and limitations of biodegradable plastics as a solution to plastic pollution. Researchers found that while biodegradable plastics can help reduce environmental persistence, many only break down under specific industrial composting conditions and do not readily degrade in natural environments like oceans or landfills, highlighting the need for clearer standards and consumer education.

2020 ChemSusChem 438 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding bioplastic materials - current state and trends

This review summarizes the current state of bioplastic materials, examining their properties, applications, and potential as alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics that contribute to environmental pollution. The authors assess both the promise and limitations of bioplastics in reducing the global plastic waste crisis.

2020 Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society 31 citations
Review Tier 2

The degradation of single-use plastics and commercially viable bioplastics in the environment: A review

Researchers reviewed how conventional single-use plastics degrade over decades in natural environments versus how bioplastics biodegrade, finding that while alternatives like PBS and PHA show genuine biodegradation potential, most require specific industrial composting conditions that are rarely available in practice.

2023 Environmental Research 89 citations