SMART SPRAYS: maximising the benefits from rainfall

Smart sprays have the potential to reduce evaporation and redirect water for increased crop yield and profit.

Smart sprays components:

• Biodegrade in marine, soil, and compost environments into CO₂, water, and biomass.
• Do not degrade into microplastics in the environment.
• Reduce reliance on fossil fuels and have a decreased carbon footprint as no fossil fuel feedstock is used.
• Do not need to be retrieved from the field – they will biodegrade in situ.

The main component of SMART SPRAYS can be produced by microorganisms through the use of a wide variety of renewable feedstocks, like organic wastes, waste canola oil, brewers waste and glycerol, creating a circular economy.

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Plastics and bioplastics can be categorised based on their origin/feedstock (biobased vs. fossil fuel based) and their degradation properties (biodegradable vs. non-biodegradable).

Feedstocks

Fossil-based feedstocks: Derived from petroleum, natural gas, or coal.

Biobased feedstocks: Derived from plants, algae, or agricultural waste products.

Differences in degradation

Download the fact sheet to learn more about plastics and bioplastics.

Biodegradable materials are those that can be fully broken down into natural substances, such as water and carbon dioxide, by naturally occurring microorganisms. In waste management, the term “biodegradable” is broadly used to describe materials that degrade either under composting conditions or in the natural environment. The key distinction is that compostable materials are designed to break down within a specific timeframe under controlled composting conditions, where factors like temperature, moisture, and microbial activity are optimised to accelerate decomposition and biomass formation.

Certified compostable

Compostable refers to a product’s ability to biodegrade into non-toxic, natural elements within a defined timeframe under specific composting conditions. Both fossil-based and bio-based bioplastics can be certified as compostable. However, compostability claims should only be made if the product has been certified to a recognised standard, such as Australian Standards AS 4736-2006 or AS 5810-2010.

Biobased bioplastic biodegradable

Smart sprays belong to this category.

Bioplastics made from bio-based feedstocks that fully break down into natural substances, either under composting conditions or in the natural environment. PHA bioplastics, in particular, are known to degrade effectively in both soil and marine environments.

Fossil-based bioplastic biodegradable

Fossil-based biodegradable plastics make up a relatively small category, which includes materials like PBAT and PCL. While PBAT is both biodegradable and compostable, improper disposal can still have environmental consequences, as its degradation requires specific conditions to occur efficiently.

Biobased bioplastic non-biodegradable

Bioplastics can be derived from bio-based
feedstocks while remaining non-
biodegradable. These materials are
chemically identical to traditional fossil-
based plastics.

Conventional plastics non-biodegradable

These materials do not biodegrade. In Australia, 2.9 million tonnes of plastic waste are discarded each year, with only 13% recycled, while the remaining 87% ends up in landfill.

Reference: State of Bioplastics in Australia, CSIRO, 2024 with permission.

Download the fact sheet to learn more about plastics and bioplastics.