Plastics can live on the planet and in our environment for quite a while. A revolutionary product, BDP allows naturally occurring microorganisms in landfill, oceans and soil to consume the plastic when the additive is included in flexible packaging production. BDP is an ingredient made of organic nutrients and compounds that become actual food sources for microbes in nature, essentially tricking microbes into thinking its nutritious. With BDP, the microbes will eat up all the plastic after it has been used, recycled and thrown out, leaving behind compost and biogas. The compost fertilizes the soil, while the biogas can be captured and converted into natural gas.
Inside BDP: How It Works
BDP is a drop-in polymer, added to the packaging manufacturing process in the same way that colorant is added, keeping the traditional manufacturing process intact.
BDP has the power to attract microbes. These microbes start colonizing on the surface of the plastic. There are enzymes secreted by the microbes, which renders the plastic hydrophilic and as a result, a film which is rich in microbes and moisture forms on and adheres to the surface of the plastic. According to the makers of BDP, Change Plastic for Good, “The microbes then hydrolyze the plastic using secreted enzymes and water. As the individual polymer chains are broken down into single monomers, the microbes consume the polymer matrix.”
Essentially, the microbes send out a signal that attracts more microbes to feed on the plastic mass and consuming most of the CO2 and other materials formed during the earlier stages, leaving behind mostly methane, which is captured for clean energy.
Advocating for Truly Sustainable Products
LK Packaging supports The Change Plastic for Good movement, which holds the vision of creating truly sustainable products. With BDP, the process of decomposing food creates natural gas, which is captured in large digesters. The clean fuel is then used for electricity and the compost and fertilizer is used on farms. The goal of the visionaries at Change Plastic for Good is to, one day, say goodbye to landfills and hello to digesters.
For more information or to see more from Change Plastic for Good, click HERE.
