What effect does the combination of corn starch and PE have on the degradation properties of biobags?

The effect of the combination of corn starch and PE on the degradation performance of biodegradable carry bags can be analyzed from the following main aspects:
1. Slowing down of degradation rate
Corn starch itself is biodegradable and can be quickly decomposed by microorganisms in a suitable environment. After combining corn starch with PE, although the corn starch part is biodegradable, the presence of the PE part will significantly slow down the degradation rate of the overall bag. In the natural environment, PE may not degrade, causing the overall degradation process of the bag to stagnate for a long time.
Biodegradable handbag
2. Environmental dependence
The degradation performance of corn starch and PE composites is strongly affected by the external environment. In a composting environment, the corn starch part can decompose faster, but the presence of PE takes longer to degrade. In a natural environment (such as the ocean or landfill), the degradation rate of the composite bag will be further slowed down due to the lack of necessary temperature, humidity and microorganisms. Therefore, although this material is more environmentally friendly than traditional plastic bags, its degradation performance is still limited, especially in the natural environment.
3. Balance between physical properties and environmental protection
The addition of PE can enhance the strength, durability and water resistance of the biobag, making it more functional during use. The corn starch part helps to improve the degradability. In this balance, the bag has good mechanical properties when in use, but the presence of the PE part still affects its environmental friendliness during the degradation process. Therefore, while providing functionality, the corn starch + PE composite material cannot completely solve the problem of plastic pollution.

4. Sustainability and Substitutability
Although corn starch + PE bio bags have more environmental advantages than traditional plastic bags, the environmental protection potential of this composite material is limited due to the non-biodegradable characteristics of PE. In order to further improve the degradation performance and environmental friendliness, more and more companies in the market have begun to use  bio-based materials (such as PLA, PHA, etc.) to replace PE to achieve faster degradation and lower environmental burden.