In-Depth Analysis: How the Water Bottle Industry is Adapting to Biodegradable Materials - The PP Additive Chapter

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With growing environmental awareness in global consumer markets, over 60 countries including China have implemented stricter carbon emission and carbon neutrality standards. These initiatives have significantly increased the adoption of biodegradable materials in daily consumer goods, and the water bottle industry is no exception. During 2024-2025, http://www.zhanyict.com/en/ProductsDetail-IR-10094.htmldozens of brand owners, purchasers, and industry engineers visited our factory to discuss biodegradable material solutions. Through extensive research and DeepSeek analysis, we've compiled the following insights.

This content addresses key considerations for using corn fiber, rice husk fiber, and coffee grounds in water bottle production, including: What modifications are required for injection molding equipment and molds? http://www.zhanyict.com/en/ProductsDetail-IR-10094.htmlWhy is PP added during production? Are there alternative materials? Given the volume of information, we'll present it in separate articles by material type, hoping to assist professionals seeking this knowledge.

Reasons and Impacts of Adding PP

1. Why Add PP?

- Processing Improvement:

PLA and other bio-materials have low melt strength. http://www.zhanyict.com/en/ProductsDetail-IR-10094.htmlAdding 10-30% PP improves flowability (melt flow index increases from 5g/10min to 15g/10min), reducing short shots.

- Enhanced Toughness:

Pure PLA has a notched impact strength of ~2.5 kJ/m², http://www.zhanyict.com/en/ProductsDetail-IR-10094.htmlwhich increases to 4.8 kJ/m² with 20% PP, preventing cracking from drops.

- Cost Reduction:

PP costs ~$1.2/kg vs. PLA at ~$2.8/kg. Blending reduces material costs by 25-40%.

2. Does It Affect Sustainability?

- Degradability:

PP is non-biodegradable (petroleum-based). Blended products must contain ≥30% bio-content (per ASTM D6866) http://www.zhanyict.com/en/ProductsDetail-IR-10094.htmlto claim "partially bio-based" but cannot be labeled "fully biodegradable."

- Certification Standards:

For full biodegradability, http://www.zhanyict.com/en/ProductsDetail-IR-10094.htmlPLA/PBAT blends are required (cost +50%) with EN 13432 compostability certification.

3. Problems with pure natural materials without PP

Material - performance defects - end product risks

Pure PLA - http://www.zhanyict.com/en/ProductsDetail-IR-10094.htmlbrittle - (flexural modulus > 3.5GPa) The cup body is easy to break and the threaded connection is broken

Pure rice fiber - http://www.zhanyict.com/en/ProductsDetail-IR-10094.htmltemperature resistance ≤ 60℃ (low heat deformation temperature) - deformation when filled with hot water, melting in microwave ovens

Pure coffee grounds - tensile strength ≤ 20MPa (pure PP is about 35MPa) - http://www.zhanyict.com/en/ProductsDetail-IR-10094.htmlcup wall thickness increases (cost increases), easy to leak

This analysis highlights the trade-offs between performance, cost, and sustainability when incorporating PP into biodegradable water bottle production.http://www.zhanyict.com/en/ProductsDetail-IR-10094.htmlManufacturers must balance these factors based on product requirements and environmental goals.