Biodegradable: Yes, it biodegrades into carbon dioxide and water. (30 days under supervised conditions at 284 degrees F, 100-1000 years in a landfill or compost)
How its made: Polylactic Acic (PLA) is made from the corn starch!
It requires 20-50% less fossil fuel to create.
It doesn't emit toxic fumes when incinerated!
In order to produce enough corn to supply the need for plastics and corn ethanol, as fuel, corn needs to be genetically modified in order to yield enough product!
Also, there are not enough facilities where the corn plastic can efficiently biodegrade.
Algae Plastic
Algae starch is close enough to that of corn, tapioca and wheat, so it can easily be made into plastic.
Like corn, there isn't enough of the specific type of algae in order to mass produce it.
It is quite expensive compared to crude-based plastics.
Biodegradable: No, but it is recyclable.
Right now, the algae is substituting 35% of the crude-oil in plastics. The goal is to be a complete substitute. (The algae does not emit toxic fumes and is not a hazard to human health.)
My Opinion
I think that at the time, Corn plastic is better since it is biodegradable. We have this problem where we only rely on one resource, and either depleat it, or use it in excess that it creates a negative toll on our health and the environment. The best solution would be to create different types of plastics from different plant materials. The main problems with trying to mass produce algae and corn plastics are that there is not a large enough supply of the plant. Corn is in demand for ethanol AND plastic...
GLobalization: The demand for corn has caused the price to increase 400%. Many citizens of Mexico are outraged since it is a staple for them. Rainforests are being burned in order to create more land to grow biofuel plants.
