Are so-called "bioplastics" green?

[Dover]

Makers of emerging plant-based plastics hope to carve larger market niche



...So-called "bioplastics" offer the world a way to wean itself off oil, and most biodegrade to varying degrees. But their makers' green argument is complex, and environmentalists are cautious in their support.

Manufacturing bioplastics produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. The materials are made from crops - corn, switch grass, sugar cane, even sweet potatoes - that require land and water to grow. Some sound alarms because genetically modified organisms are used to spur the fermentation that creates them. And recycling them presents still other pitfalls...cont'd


http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=86740

[Dover]

1. New Plastic Could Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Someone just posted this article in LBN so thought I'd post it here too:

New Plastic Could Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions

A plastic tweaked to mimic cellular membranes can separate carbon dioxide from natural gas and could help reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, scientists say.

The technology, detailed in the Oct. 12 issue of the journal Science, might also be modified to isolate natural gas from decomposing garbage or filter impurities from water, the researchers say.

Like a selective sponge, the new plastic allows carbon dioxide or other small molecules to pass through its hourglass-shaped pores but blocks the passage of methane, the primary molecule in natural gas.

The shape of the cavities are similar to ion channels on cell surfaces that allow molecules of only a certain size and charge to pass to the interior.

The researchers say their new plastic is four times more effective and 100 times faster at filtering carbon dioxide than conventional membranes. ...>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20071024/sc_livescience/newplasticcouldreducecarbondioxideemissions