Ramani Narayan
Michigan State University
Description:
Biobased plastics offer the value proposition of a reduced carbon footprint. Biodegradability offers an environmentally responsible option for products at the end of their lifecycles. This webinar reviews this value proposition and presents an approach to positioning and communicating the value proposition with real-world product examples. Material and process carbon footprint analysis and LCA (lifecycle assessment) tools will be discussed. Biodegradability, recycling, and waste to energy as environmentally responsible end-of-life strategies for bioplastics will be discussed, as will the biomass feedstocks available for manufacture of bioplastics, the manufacture of biobased monomers, plasticizers, and resins using carbohydrates, vegetable oil, and other biofeedstocks, and end-products and applications.