Significant Impact of COVID-19 on Polybutylene Succinate (PBS) | Chemicals and Materials Industry
COVID-19 Impact on Polybutylene Succinate (PBS) in Chemicals and Materials Industry
Introduction
Polybutylene succinate (PBS) is a biodegradable plastic that decays into H2O, and carbon dioxide with the microorganism under the earth. PBS has a high-temperature resistance among the general biodegradability resin, and has high compatibility with fiber. It is one of the most significant biodegradable polyesters synthesized by polycondensation between succinic acid, and butanediol. The reaction proceeds in two steps. The first esterification occurs between the diced and the diol, and then polycondensation takes place under high temperatures to form high-molecular-weight PBS. Their major function is to enhance the working of the product, for polybutylene applications, such as, mulch film, packaging film, flushable hygiene products, fishing nets, coffee capsules, wood plastic composite among others, plays a major role in enhancing functionality. The chemical organization of polybutylene succinate has Clarian stated that, the continuous declining profit reflects the intensity of coronavirus across the globe.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, industry organizations made great reservations about whether the limitations included in the single-use plastics directive (SUPD) would negatively affect health and general consumer security due to these effects on the reusable plastic polybutylene succinate (PBS) market. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic has given bioplastics a more crucial role due to the need to securely preserve various things, such as, wearing plastic face shields, or operating behind plastic shields, ensuring food, and personal items are protected with impermeable packaging and providing gloves for everyday use. Bioplastics are a key material for many applications such as mulch film, packaging film, bags, flushable hygiene products, fishing nets, coffee capsules, wood-plastic composites, and others. But across the world gone shut down, which affected on production and supply of polybutylene succinate PBS market.
UPCOMING FUTURE OF POLYBUTYLENE SUCCINATE (PBS) MARKET
Post-COVID-19, the polybutylene succinate (PBS) market is expected to foster as it is an environmentally safe biopolymer with some special properties, such as good clarity and processability, a shiny look, and flexibility. However, it also has some drawbacks, such as brittleness. Moreover, the polybutylene succinate uses in various things such as packaging, agriculture, textile, consumer goods, electrical & electronics, automotive and, many countries such as China, India, U.S, and Germany, among others are aims to highlight recent developments in PBS research and production, as well as its natural fiber composites. The current research efforts focus on the synthesis, copolymers, and biodegradability for its properties, trends, challenges, and prospects in the field of PBS and its composites also reviewed in this paper.
IMPACT ON DEMAND
During to coronavirus, the demand for polybutylene succinate PBS products such as conventional and bio-based polybutylene succinate PBS is disrupted due to the lockdown across the world, which has created an imbalance in the manufacturing and transportation sector, decreasing the demand drastically.
On the other hand, many companies are looking for new strategies to operate in the manufacturing and transport sector in a pandemic situation. Governments have updated their trade strategies, thereby partly suspending the operation of many markets. The flow of profits is freely affected by this disruption in the behavior of the business operation.
IMPACT ON SUPPLY CHAIN
Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 globally, supply chain partners have experienced their challenges and may not be able to fulfill orders on time during the pandemic. Limiting logistics has been the biggest problem for all aspects of the market, and a sharp decline in export and import worldwide. The COVID-19 impact hit the supply chain of developing nations such as India and China, as the cost of maintaining a safer delivery of productions and supply of overall demand was highly unlikely to be met. On the other hand, many countries are restricted and limited with the border due to COVID-19. The volume of exports and imports has changed their strategies due to internal and external border restrictions, retailers have found it challenging to sell their products.
Thus, shutdown during coronavirus, the transportation and supply chain faced huge loss because government strictly restricted import and export from the border, which has affected the country’s GDP and some companies changes their business plan, even few investors avoiding business investment which affected the world economy.
CONCLUSION
Therefore, the challenge for the economy was that the coronavirus was a global health threat and directly impacted supply chain and demand due to this market faced chaos. The government of every country had to make tough decisions to slow down the spread of coronavirus. This cession of production has the main impact on the country’s GDP because polybutylene succinate is used in various industries such as agriculture, textile, consumer goods, electrical & electronics, and automotive. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of having diverse supply sources within the country and across the globe.
However, post-COVID-19, losses can be decreased by combining natural fiber with the copolymerization process and modification. Combining with natural fibers will decrease polybutylene succinate PBS products, and copolymerization will create rigid PBS plastic for various applications. Concerning the final application, it demonstrated the potentiality of PBS to be used in different areas such as mulch films, packaging film, bags, flushable hygiene products, fishing, nets coffee capsules, wood-plastic composites, and others. A wide variety of applications using PBS will bring people to the use of PBS in the future
