Biodegradable Polymers and Their Practical Utility (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, 2009
Biopolymers from renewable resources have attracted much attention in recent years. Increasing environmental consciousness and demands of legislative authorities have given significant opportunities for improved materials from renewable resources with enhanced support for global sustainability. Highperformance plastics are the outcome of continuous research over the last few decades. The real challenge of renewable polymers lies in finding applications, which will result in mass production, and price reduction. This can be attained by improving the end performance of the biodegradable polymers. The structure, properties, and applications of polymers derived from natural resources are discussed in this article.
Synthetic polymers are used extensively. Approx. 98 % of the 300 million tons of polymers manufactured each year for packaging, construction, appliances, and other technical goods are made from fossil sources, predominantly crude oil. Combustion (thermal recycling) is a preferred route of disposal, at it removes waste, however, CO2 emissions arise. Biobased polymers, by contrast, are made from renewable resources. A second class of biopolymers for technical applications is biodegradable, being produced from conventional or renewable feedstock. Common biobased plastics are drop-in materials such as biobased PE, biobased PP, and biobased PET, and frequently used biodegradable plastics are PLA (polylactic acid), TPS (thermoplastic starch), and PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates). Also, composites can contain natural fibers such as sisal or hemp. Biobased polymer additives, e.g., plasticizers, are also in use. Renewable feedstock reduces the carbon footprint of the plastics produced. Hence, biopolymers can contribute to climate change mitigation. Biodegradable bioplastics avoid accumulation of the material in the environment, which has detrimental effects, e.g., on marine wildlife. The degradation of bioplastics in general does not release pollutants, and mineralization of the polymer yields CO2 and water in case of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen compounds. In this chapter, biobased polymers, which have a substitution potential of up to 90 %, are briefly discussed with respect to climate change mitigation.
The Role of Biopolymers in Obtaining Environmentally Friendly Materials
Composites from Renewable and Sustainable Materials, 2016
Polymeric materials have had a boom in the global industry over the past two decades, because of its adaptability, durability, and price so much so that now we cannot imagine a product that does not contain it. However, many synthetic polymers that have been developed are mainly derived from petroleum and coal as raw material, which make them incompatible with the environment, since they cannot be included in what is a natural recycling system. Aware of the environmental impacts that produce synthetic polymers, a solution could be the mixtures with different types and sources of biological materials, called biopolymers, such as starch, cellulose, chitosan, zein, gelatin among others and that gradually replace synthetic polymers to address and resolve these problems. The development of new applications, such as composite materials by incorporation of alternative materials, found in nature that has similar properties to oilbased polymers, but its main feature is its biodegradability and offering competitive to current material costs. In this sense, various investigations are aimed at decreasing the amounts of plastic waste and to manufacture products with less aggressive environment since the synthetic plastics are difficult to recycle and can remain in nature for over a century.
Polymers Based on Renewable Raw Materials - Part II
2013
A short review of biopolymers based on starch (starch derivatives, thermoplastic starch), lignin and hemicelluloses, chitin (chitosan) and products obtained by degradation of starch and other polysaccharides and sugars (poly(lactic acid), poly(hydroxyalkanoates)), as well as some of their basic properties and application area, are given in this part. The problem of environmental and economic feasibility of biopolymers based on renewable raw materials and their competitiveness with polymers based on fossil raw materials is discussed. Also pointed out are the problems that appear due to the increasing use of agricultural land for the production of raw materials for the chemical industry and energy, instead for the production of food for humans and animals. The optimistic assessments of experts considering the development perspectives of biopolymers based on renewable raw materials in the next ten years have also been pointed out. At the end of the paper, the success of a team of researchers gathered around the experts from the company Bayer is indicated. They were the first in the world to develop a catalyst by which they managed to effectively activate CO 2 and incorporate it into polyols, used for the synthesis of polyurethanes in semi-industrial scale. By applying this process, for the first time a pollutant will be used as a basic raw material for the synthesis of organic compounds, which will have significant consequences on the development of the chemical industry, and therefore the production of polymers.
Packaging material and need of biodegradable polymers: A review
International journal of applied research, 2017
In the coming anthropocenic age, during which the human activity has dominant influence on environment mainly plastic, there is high need of industrial application of biodegradable polymer and mainly in field of packaging. The United States commanding $135 billion in the worldwide packaging industry (Flexible Packaging Association) and the flexible packaging industry is the second largest sector of the business. The key packaging materials are glass, metals, paper, plastic and laminates. Such huge application of non-biodegradable materials, creating greater environmental impact and incineration of plastics may generate toxic air pollution, thereby demand of biodegradable polymer is getting higher. Application of Biodegradable plastic in the same field are the one which fulfil all these functions without causing any threat to environment. It is classified under three categories: Natural (Starch, Proteins etc.), Synthetic (Produced from Petroleum resources (PHA) and Produced from microorganism (PBS, PES)), and Semi-synthetic (Starch-PLA Blend, Starch-PCL Blend etc.). The belief is that biodegradable polymer material will reduce need of synthetic polymer and reduces pollution. Thereby, producing positive affects both economically and ecologically by reducing expensive cost of recycling after use and by reducing pollution respectively.
Biopolymers from Natural Resources
Polymers, 2021
During the last decades, the increasing ecology in the reduction of environmental impact caused by traditional plastics is contributing to the growth of more sustainable plastics with the aim to reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources for their production [...]
Biogenerated Polymers: An Enviromental Alternative
DYNA, 2020
Biogenerated polymers are of great interest in industry in general, due to the trend of reduced use of petroleum-derived materials. However, their development costs are high and the benefit is still low. Currently, biodegradable alternatives are available from biogenerated polymers approximately 10% of the plastics market. Its consumption is estimated at 50,000 tons/year in Europe, with a share of less than 1%. In this order of ideas, the objective of this revision is to show the importance of the production of biogenerated polymers in the manufacture of biodegradable materials, from their formulation that contains macromolecules of natural origin such as oligomers or monomers. To this purpose, we will discuss topics related to several types of biogenerated polymers, such as chitosan, starch, polybutylene succyanate and polylactic acid, which have been used for the development of biogenerated polymeric materials by different research groups.