Is Cellulose Packaging Made With Corn?

Cellulose Packaging

• Cellulose is a naturally occurring biopolymer found in cell walls of plants. The most common plants used to create cellulose packaging include wood and cotton because of their availability and amount of cellulose present. Other plants used to create cellulose include corn and wheat. Cellulose plastic wrap, commonly called cellophane, was the main type of plastic packaging device on the market until the 1960s, according to the Pak-Sel Inc. website.

Fermentation

• Fermentation is the process in which the sugars of harvested plants, like corn, are consumed by specific bacteria for cellular respiration. The byproduct of this process is polymers, which are then separated from the bacteria. The polymers are then converted into plastics used for packaging or other industrial purposes. Another form of fermentation converts sugar to lactic acid. In this process the starches of corn are used. The result of this fermentation is lactic acid, which is then converted to polylactic acid through additional processes that create the polymer used in plastics.

Processing

• Once the biopolymers have been separated from the bacteria they are sent to be processed. Biopolymers plastics are processed in much the same way as other types of plastics. These plastics can be molded into shapes or stretched to become thin films. Manufacturers of these plastics must take careful consideration in what additives such as colors and glues are used with the plastic packaging to obtain the "compostable" designation, which is one of the major advantages of cellulose-based packaging.

Advantages of Cellulose Packaging

• Cellulose packaging has two major benefits: The packaging is biodegradable, and the resources are renewable. A traditionally made biodegradable plastic made of cellulose, including that made of corn, typically break down in a period of six to 10 weeks. To be labelled as compostable, the plastic must break down by at least 90 percent in three months' time. Cellulose plastics and packaging are made of renewable resources compared with other plastics, which are produced by burning fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. Corn crops grow every year offering a new source of cellulose and starches to be used to make plastic packaging.