Chinese scientists claim lead in race for viable biodegradable plastics

Research team says its working production line can produce key ingredients at a scale 10 times higher than current processes

The breakthrough overcomes the main obstacle to replace environmentally polluting disposable plastic products, they said

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Researchers in China said they have made an industrial breakthrough that could reduce the problem of plastic pollution. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:00pm, 17 Jul 2023Updated: 3:06pm, 17 Jul 2023

Chinese scientists say they have improved production of the raw materials that go into biodegradable plastics to a level that makes them a viable alternative to the environmentally unfriendly plastic used in a host of everyday items.

“The achievement positions the project as a global front runner,” said the researchers, according to a news report published on July 2 by Science and Technology Daily.

The team, led by Wang Shibao from Jiangnan University (JNU), worked in collaboration with Dong Weifu, also with JNU, and Hsuko New Materials, a company based in Shandong province in eastern China.

The researchers said they have developed the world’s first production line that uses petroleum to synthesise succinic anhydride and succinic acid – the vital compounds for a range of food, pharmaceutical and agricultural products – at almost 100 per cent purity.

Wang said the production line, which has a capacity of 10,000 tonnes of succinic anhydride per year, “has been running stably for a month with exceptionally high purity, over 99.9 per cent”.

“High-quality succinic anhydride and succinic acid products were obtained through efficient chemical reactions, with a 100 per cent conversion rate for raw material and 99.59 per cent product selectivity,” the report said.