What Are The Categories Of Bio-Based Materials? What Is The Relevance To Carbon Emissions?

Classification of bio-based materials: there are many categories and subdivisions of bio-based materials

According to their product properties, bio-based materials can be classified into bio-based polymers, bio-based plastics, bio-based chemical fibres, bio-based rubber, bio-based coatings, bio-based material additives, bio-based composites and products made from various bio-based materials.

Among them, bio-based biodegradable materials have green, environment-friendly, renewable and biodegradable characteristics that traditional petroleum-based plastics and other polymer materials do not have; bio-based fibres have been widely used in fashion, household, outdoor and industrial fields, and are gradually moving towards practical application and industrialisation on an industrial scale; bio-based plastic products are used in packaging materials, disposable tableware and shopping bags, baby nappies, agricultural films, textile materials, etc.

Bio-based plastics are being used in packaging materials, disposable tableware and shopping bags, baby diapers, agricultural films and textile materials, and are generally recognised and accepted by the market.

In terms of common product forms, bio-based materials can be divided into five main categories: bio-based platform compounds, bio-based plastics, polysaccharide-based bio-based materials, amino acid-based bio-based materials and wood-plastic composites.

Among them, bio-based platform compounds are chemical monomers that are polymerised into raw material macromolecules, such as lactic acid and 1,3-propanediol, etc. Bio-based plastics are the most widely used and well-researched bio-based materials, with polylactic acid and polyhydroxy fatty acid esters as representative products.

Compared with traditional petrochemical materials, bio-based materials can significantly reduce carbon emissions.

In the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutral commitments made by various countries, including China, the carbon emissions of future materials are an important indicator. "Although China is the largest producer of bio-based materials, most of them are used for export, and there is still a lot of room for domestic use of bio-based materials."

Chen Guoqiang, a professor at Tsinghua University's School of Life Sciences, said relevant government departments should introduce corresponding policies to encourage the development of bio-based materials.

For instance, to raise taxes on non-degradable materials and to reduce taxes or even give subsidies for bio-based and other degradable materials, in order to promote the development of the whole industry.