Sugar Isn't Just Sweet: How Sugar Cane Waste Can Help Create Bioplastics

By Diana Elisa Nuno

Film of bioplastic created through PHA Synthesis (Left) and bottle caps produced by PHA bioplastic (Right) 

(Source: PHA bioplastic made with the help of predatory bacteria, by MaterialDistrict, https://materialdistrict.com/article/pha-bioplastic-predatory-bacteria/,  CJ Biomaterials unveils fully biodegradable PHA bottle cap by Bioplastic Magazine, https://www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/en/news/meldungen/20240403-CJ.php.) 

      Plastic products are widely used in everyday life, from household items like bottled water, food containers, and grocery bags to disposable gloves, sterile packaging, and syringes seen in hospitals. However, plastics such as polypropylene and polyethylene are created from nonrenewable resources such as fossil fuels, which take years to degrade and negatively impact the environment through microplastics and pollution. Because of this, it is important to find biodegradable alternatives to plastic products.

  Bioplastics, such as polyhydroxybutyrate, can be synthesized through the process of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production. This process consists of feeding bacteria a carbon source while limiting other nutrients. These bacteria then create PHA's as a nutrient storage, which can be extracted to create bioplastics. These bioplastics can be used to create alternatives for common plastic products. However, producing a food source for bacteria can be costly, hindering these products from becoming easily accessible.

  To synthesize bioplastics, the researchers of this article collected cane molasses, a by-product of sugar cane waste, creating an inexpensive, environmentally sustainable carbon source for the bacterial species, Alcaligenes sp. NCIM 5085. Since cane molasses is a by-product, it is usually discarded as waste. Utilizing the sugar by-product reduces waste and allows bioplastics to become more available. The article suggests that this research could be used to make bioplastics more easily accessible to consumers. However, this process has several tradeoffs, one example being that the fermentation process can become time-consuming while still being more expensive than plastic.

  Overall, since plastics are detrimental to the environment, it is important to find plastic alternatives to limit pollution. This research advances environmental science by offering an alternative to plastic products and preventing cane molasses from becoming a wasted material.

Original Article:

Kanzariya R , Gautam A , Parikh S, Gautam S. 2022. Kinetics of biomass and polyhydroxyalkanoates synthesis using sugar industry waste as carbon substrate by Alcaligenes sp. NCIM 5085. J. Environ. Biol.[accessed 2024 October 11];  44 (4): 612-622. http://doi.org/10.22438/jeb/44/4/MRN-5096 .