A study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (LNBR) of the National Center for Energy and Materials Research (CNPEM) – which houses the Sirius particle accelerator, in Campinas – shows that Brazil can lead the production of sugarcane-derived bioplastics as an alternative to conventional plastics, and not only because of its production potential. , but because of the ability to develop a product with a lower impact on the environment.
The analysis, published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, suggests using degraded areas without losing local biodiversity as a solution, taking into account carbon stocks, water resources and the final destination of the bioplastic. To understand more details of the research, g1 spoke with agricultural and environmental engineer Thais Hernandez, one of the authors of the research.
She explains that the main novelty of the research is the evaluation of the entire bioplastic production process and its benefits.
Better for soil and biodiversity
The study conducted mapping of the areas where sugarcane would be grown, and discovered that the country has 3.5 million hectares available to implement this technology. These areas are distributed in Mato Grosso do Sul (1.8 Mha) in the Tres Lagoas region, followed by São Paulo (0.55 Mha), Minas Gerais (0.5 Mha), Goiás (0.3 Mha), and Mato Grosso (0.2 Mha). and Paraná (0.2 Mha). 0.2MB).
Among them, none are in indigenous forest areas, and more than three million is the number of areas where sugarcane cultivation will not cause environmental impacts, such as degradation of local biodiversity.
Moreover, according to the research, it is possible to expand the production area up to 22 million hectares with positive impacts on carbon stocks, water resources and biodiversity when prioritizing the use of degraded pasture areas.
Planting sugarcane in areas degraded by erosion, for example, could be beneficial, explains Theis. This is because growing the crop in this type of area will restore soil that has been subjected to erosion, increasing its fertility and increasing carbon stock.
High productivity without burning fossil fuels
The engineer explains that the choice of sugarcane is due to its high productivity compared to other crops. “Sugarcane produces 80 to 85 tons of useful products per hectare, and soybeans, for example, produce three. Sugarcane is very productive and efficient,” he explains. “When compared to traditional plastic, which comes from petroleum jelly, it has other benefits as well.”
Moreover, the main advantage of replacing fossil plastics with bioplastics, according to the study, is the wide application of the product in various fields, which will reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere and alleviate the problem caused by greenhouse gases emitted by the production of petroleum-derived plastics.
“It is well established that through this production it is possible to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, however, the way we deal with the entire plastic chain also needs to change to be truly sustainable,” he explains.
Good recyclability
The work also analyzes the eventual cycle possibilities for this type of material. That is, how can they be disposed of without harming the environment? Theis and the researchers involved in the study used the chemical recycling hypothesis as a way to eliminate the use of bioplastics from sugarcane. According to the engineer, this type of recycling does not promote material loss and allows 100% reuse of the product.
“We basically looked at final disposal, because one of the great points about plastic, even though it is of biological origin, is that it has the same properties and properties as plastic of fossil origin, that is: if it is disposed of in the environment ‘irresponsibly,’ it will continue to exist.” Generating the problem we know, which is plastic pollution, so the idea was to evaluate everything from production to raw materials,” explains the researcher. g1
