In recent years,a great deal of attention has been focused on the environmental impact of plastics,includ-ing the carbon emissions related to plastics,which has promoted the application of biodegradable plas-tics.Coun...In recent years,a great deal of attention has been focused on the environmental impact of plastics,includ-ing the carbon emissions related to plastics,which has promoted the application of biodegradable plas-tics.Countries worldwide have shown high interest in replacing traditional plastics with biodegradable plastics.However,no systematic comparison has been conducted on the carbon emissions of biodegrad-able versus traditional plastic products.This study evaluates the carbon emissions of traditional and biodegradable plastic products(BPPs)over four stages and briefly discusses environmental and economic perspectives.Four scenarios-namely,the traditional method,chemical recycling,industrial composting,and anaerobic digestion-are considered for the disposal of waste BPPs(WBPPs).The analysis takes China as a case study.The results show that the carbon emissions of 1000traditional plastic products(plastic bags,lunch boxes,cups,etc.)were52.09-150.36 carbon emissions equivalent of per kilogram(kg CO_(2)eq),with the stage of plastic production contributing 50.71%-50.77%.In comparison,1000 similar BPPs topped out at 21.06-56.86 kg CO_(2)eq,approximately 13.53%-62.19%lower than traditional plastic prod-ucts.The difference was mainly at the stages of plastic production and waste disposal,and the BPPs showed significant carbon reduction potential at the raw material acquisition stage.Waste disposal plays an important role in environmental impact,and composting and anaerobic digestion are considered to be preferable disposal methods for WBPPs.However,the high cost of biodegradable plastics is a challenge for their widespread use.This study has important reference significance for the sustainable development of the biodegradableplastics industry.展开更多
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52100157,52176197,and 52100156)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFD1601100).
文摘In recent years,a great deal of attention has been focused on the environmental impact of plastics,includ-ing the carbon emissions related to plastics,which has promoted the application of biodegradable plas-tics.Countries worldwide have shown high interest in replacing traditional plastics with biodegradable plastics.However,no systematic comparison has been conducted on the carbon emissions of biodegrad-able versus traditional plastic products.This study evaluates the carbon emissions of traditional and biodegradable plastic products(BPPs)over four stages and briefly discusses environmental and economic perspectives.Four scenarios-namely,the traditional method,chemical recycling,industrial composting,and anaerobic digestion-are considered for the disposal of waste BPPs(WBPPs).The analysis takes China as a case study.The results show that the carbon emissions of 1000traditional plastic products(plastic bags,lunch boxes,cups,etc.)were52.09-150.36 carbon emissions equivalent of per kilogram(kg CO_(2)eq),with the stage of plastic production contributing 50.71%-50.77%.In comparison,1000 similar BPPs topped out at 21.06-56.86 kg CO_(2)eq,approximately 13.53%-62.19%lower than traditional plastic prod-ucts.The difference was mainly at the stages of plastic production and waste disposal,and the BPPs showed significant carbon reduction potential at the raw material acquisition stage.Waste disposal plays an important role in environmental impact,and composting and anaerobic digestion are considered to be preferable disposal methods for WBPPs.However,the high cost of biodegradable plastics is a challenge for their widespread use.This study has important reference significance for the sustainable development of the biodegradableplastics industry.
