Polymers are now of great importance to the global economy, and this is reflected in their
high levels of production. Most plastics produced are not biodegradable, come from nonrenewable resources and are not recycled. Therefore, the accumulation of plastic waste is
becoming a real problem for the environment and for humans. The importance of this fact
has aroused great interest in finding alternatives, the most important is the use of
bioplastics. This term encompasses a whole set of polymers that are biodegradable, come
from natural resources or both characteristics at the same time.
The aim of this bibliographic study is seeing if these polymers are a viable alternative to
conventional plastics and if so, which ones are more likely to stand out from the others.
The different types to be considered have been distributed in four different groups,
according to their origin and according to their biodegradability, and in each case their
advantages, disadvantages, applications, market price and their biodegradable
microorganisms have been examined.
Through comparisons of costs, advantages, disadvantages, and applications, it can be seen
that in the economic field there is no plastic more cost-effective than any conventional
polymer. Therefore, more studies are needed to lower production costs. On the other hand,
there are very few plastics that solve the problem of biodegradability at the same time as
the origin of raw materials. However, in order for those with both characteristics to
acquire properties similar to those of type IV polymers, and also not to have excessively
high prices, in many cases it would be necessary to mix them with other materials.
Although there is currently no biopolymer that can replace conventional plastics in its
entirety and effectively, in the near future and by conducting relevant research there are
plastics, such as PLA or PHB, with a lot of potential to do it
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