Wood, as a material, has been used for a long time as an alternative to plastics and other materials. Bioplastics are biodegradable but not all bioplastics are made from wood or cellulose. Wood products have been identified as a potential source of biodegradable plastic that can solve our environmental problems. However, science tells us that we need to use them wisely
The definition of biodegradable plastic is any type of plastic that will break down in nature, given the right conditions. Biodegradable plastics are not made from wood. They're actually made from a variety of organic materials such as cornstarch, vegetable oil and sugarcane.
Plastic does not biodegrade because it's synthetic—it's made by humans. However, there are some types of plastics that do degrade when exposed to sunlight, water heat or cold temperatures for a long period of time (years).
Wood, as a material, has been used for a long time as an alternative to plastics and other materials. Wood is a natural material that can be found in many places around the world and is often used to build furniture or houses. In addition to its sustainability benefits and renewable nature, wood is also biodegradable. This means that when it is disposed of in landfills or left to decompose naturally on its own, it will eventually break down into various nutrients that plants need to grow.
The fact that wood can be used as a bioplastic makes it even more desirable as an alternative material because it has all these great qualities while still maintaining its look and feel—something not all other types of plastics can accomplish! However there are some cons associated with using this type of plastic versus traditional ones like PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PVC (polyvinyl chloride).
You’re right that wood is a biodegradable material, but it's not all bioplastics made from plant material. Though they share some characteristics, plastic and bioplastics are two different things.
Bioplastics are made from renewable materials like corn starch and sugarcane, and can be easily broken down by microorganisms in soil or water. Wood is a natural resource that can be used as an alternative to traditional plastics because it's renewable and won't harm the environment if disposed improperly (but don't throw your trash anywhere!).
The most common type of bioplastic is polylactic acid (PLA), which can be made from corn or other plant-based materials. This material has been around for decades and is commonly used in packaging and disposable items like cups, plates and utensils.
However, some people are skeptical about whether PLA will truly be a sustainable replacement for conventional plastics—it still relies on petroleum-based raw materials that are difficult to recycle. In addition, it’s not clear how much energy it takes to create these products versus what they actually save in terms of greenhouse gas emissions compared with traditional plastic production methods.
The use of wood as a bioplastic is controversial. It is a good idea to use wood as a bioplastic, but it is not the only option. Wood is a plant-based material that can be used as a bioplastic.
It’s important to note, however, that there are other types of plastic available and many people prefer them over biological plastics because they don’t require any processing or modification before they can be used in products like cups and plates.
Wood is one of the oldest building materials known to man, and it remains widely used today. Wood is a natural material that can be found all over the world, and it's also renewable—meaning you can use trees to make more wood.
Wood has been used in construction for thousands of years because it's strong and durable. It's also easy to work with: You can carve out shapes or put together components without much effort at all!
Because of that versatility, wood is often used to create furniture as well—and furniture can be anything from a table or chair to beds and dressers.
Some plastics are made from renewable resources, and some are designed to degrade—but these can take many years to decompose. The main difference between biodegradable and compostable is that the first won't break down in your home compost bin.
Compostable materials need to meet a set of standards set by ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials). These include passing an accelerated aging test, which measures how quickly they'll break down in a compost pile; passing a microbial activity test, which determines how many microorganisms live within the material; passing an oxygen transmission rate test, which determines how much air flows through it when exposed to sunlight; breaking down into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic salts and minerals after exposure for at least six months; breaking down into carbon dioxide after exposure for at least three months with no significant detritus left behind after 28 days
Plasticizers can make the composite more flexible by adding flexibility to its structure. The plasticizer can be added to the composite during manufacturing, or it can be applied after manufacture.
The problem with using a large amount of plasticizer is that it can cause problems for humans and animals if ingested. Plasticizers may also contaminate soil, groundwater and surface water when they're released into the environment when wood-plastic composites break down.
You might be wondering whether or not treated wood is biodegradable, but the answer is complicated. While untreated wood will eventually break down over time, treated wood does not deteriorate as quickly. This doesn't mean that you can throw away your old door like you would with plastic. If a tree falls in the woods and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound? Maybe that's true of trees as well: if they fall in the woods and nobody's around to see them fall over, do they still have any value?
The difference between natural wood and chemically treated lumber appears to lie in what happens when heat is applied—if you burn untreated lumber (like most of us did during summer camp), this will accelerate its breakdown into smaller pieces; whereas treating with chemicals may prevent this process altogether by making each piece too large for microbes to break down easily
In the strictest definition of biodegradable, wood is not. Biodegradable plastic is a plastic that can be broken down by microorganisms. Wood does not have a chemical structure that allows it to be broken down in this way, so it cannot be classified as biodegradable.
However, wood does have natural qualities that make it a renewable resource and therefore environmentally friendly. Because trees grow from seeds and are renewable resources, they are part of the natural world and thus able to break down in some ways over time (but not like regular plastics).
We hope that this article has helped you better understand the difference between biodegradable plastics and wood. As we discussed before, not all bioplastics are made from wood or cellulose, so if you’re looking for an alternative to plastic that won’t harm our planet then look no further than your own backyard!