Environmental life cycle assessment of renewable starch alternative plastic: a comparative analysis of end-of-life scenarios in the Republic of Korea
Jhonny Alejandro Poveda‐Giraldo, Seongyon Yoo, Seung-Hyun Yoo, In Ho Kim, Kai Lan, Richard A. Venditti, Sunkyu Park
Abstract
This work estimates and analyzes the environmental impact of renewable starch alternative plastic (retarch) through the product life cycle assessment (LCA) based on 1 kg of biopolymer as the functional unit (FU). Using data from a small-scale bioplastic facility, hotspots affecting the environmental performance of the process were determined. As a main result, polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) polyester contributes around 50 % of the gross impact when producing retarch blown (RB)-grade products. The results concluded that bioplastics decrease carbon footprints and fossil energy use compared to fossil plastics, saving 1.63–2.10 kg CO 2 eq FU −1 and 29.6–76.1 MJ eq FU −1 , respectively. This work analyzed the environmental impact of six end-of-life (EOL) scenarios as potential bioplastic disposals of the current waste management policy in the Republic of Korea. The scenarios with the lowest CO 2 emissions involved energy credits through grid electricity substitution, such as incineration with energy recovery (2.88 kg CO 2 eq FU −1 bioplastic) and anaerobic digestion (2.74 kg CO 2 eq FU −1 bioplastic). This LCA aims to support the future development of starch-based bioplastics by determining that the composition of the PBAT plasticizer has an important role in the carbon footprint. Additionally, this research demonstrates the most optimal disposal method to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and its potential alternative to fossil-based plastics.