Biodegradable polymers for industrial applications

The vast majority of plastic products are made from petroleum-based synthetic polymers that do not degrade in a landfill or in a compost-like environment. Therefore, the disposal of these products poses a serious environmental problem. An environmentally-conscious alternative is to design/synthesize polymers that are biodegradable. Biodegradable polymers for industrial applications introduces the subject in part one by outlining the classification and development of biodegradable polymers with individual chapters on polyhydroxyalkanoates, polyesteramides and thermoplastic starch biodegradable polymers and others. The second part explores the materials available for the production of biodegradable polymers. Polymers derived from sugars, natural fibres, renewable forest resources, poly(lactic acid) and protein-nanoparticle composites will be looked at in detail in this section. Part three looks at the properties and mechanisms of degradation, prefacing the subject with a chapter on current standards. The final part explores opportunities for industrial applications, with chapters on packing, agriculture and biodegradable polycaprolactone foams in supercritical carbon dioxide. Biodegradable polymers for industrial applications explores the fundamental concepts concerning the development of biodegradable polymers, degradable polymers from sustainable sources, degradation and properties and industrial applications. It is an authoritative book that will be invaluable for academics, researchers and policy makers in the industry.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Ray Smith PART 1: CLASSIFICATION AND DEVELOPMENT Classification of biodegradable polymers Anne-Marie Clarinval, Jacques Halleux, CRIF Belgium Introduction. Biopolymers from natural origin. Biopolymers from mineral origin. Conclusions. References. Polyhydroxyalkanoates Guo-Qiang Chen, Tsinghua University, China Introduction. Mechanical and thermal properties of PHA. Process development and scale up for microbial PHA production. Applications of PHA. Future developments. References. Oxo-biodegradable polyolefins David M. Wiles, Plastichem Consulting, Canada Introduction. Polyolefin peroxidation. Control of polyolefin lifetimes. Oxidative degradation after use. Aerobic biodegradation. Applications of oxo-biodegradable polyolefins. Environmental impact. Future developments. References. New developments in the synthesis of aliphatic polyesters by ring-opening polymerisation Robert Jerome & Philippe Lecomte, Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules, University of Liège, Belgium Introduction. Synthesis of aliphatic polyesters by ring-opening polymerisation. Reactive extrusion. Supercritical carbon dioxide as a medium for the ring opening polymerisation of lactones and lactides and a processing-aid of aliphatic polyesters. Future developments. Acknowledgements. Bibliography. Biodegradable polyesteramides Priscilla A.M. Lips and Pieter J. Dijkstra, University of Twente, The Netherlands Introduction. Poly(ester amide)s synthesis. Polydepsipeptides. Concluding comments. Further information. References. Thermoplastic starch biodegradable polymers Peter J Halley, Centre High Performance Polymers, School of Engineering, The University of Queensland, Australia Introduction. Properties of starch. Thermoplastic starch and their blends. Modified thermoplastic starch polymers. Commercial applications and products for thermoplastic starch polymers. Thermoplastic starch polymers - looking beyond traditional polymer applications. Future developments. Further information. Acknowledgements. PART 2: MATERIALS FOR PRODUCTION OF BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS Biodegradable polymers from sugars Anjanikumar J. Varma, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India Introduction. Biodegradable polymers obtained from monosaccharides and disaccharides. Biodegradable polymers obtained from synthetic polysaccharides. Biodegradable polymers obtained from natural polysaccharides. Future developments - "biodegradable" polymers obtained from hemicelluloses. References. Biodegradable polymer composites from natural fibres David Plackett, Danish Polymer Centre, Risø National Laboratory, Denmark Introduction. Natural fibres as polymer reinforcement. Natural fibre-polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) composites. Natural fibre-polylactide (PLA) composites. Natural fibre-starch composites. Natural fibre-soy resin composites. Natural fibres in combination with synthetic biodegradable polymers. Commercial developments. Conclusion. Further information. References. Biodegradable Polymers from Renewable Forest Resources Thomas M. Keenan, Stuart W. Tanenbaum and James P. Nakas, College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse, New York, USA Lignocellulosic biomass as a renewable and value-added feedstock for biodegradable polymer production. Cellulose: as a platform substrate for degradable polymer synthesis. Hemicellulose and its application as a feedstock for biodegradable polymers. Sources of further information. Conclusions and future developments. References. Poly(lactic acid) based bioplastics Jian-Feng Zhang, Xiuzhu Sun, Dept Grain Science & Industry, Kansas State University, USA Introduction. Properties of PLA. Blends of PLA. Plasticization of PLA-based bioplastics. Aging and biodegradation. Applications of PLA based bioplastics. References. Biodegradable Protein-Nanoparticle Composites Katherine Dean and Long Yu, CSIRO-Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology, Melbourne, Australia Introduction. Delaminating clay using ultrasonics. Processing protein-nanoparticle composites using extrusion. Microstructure and mechanical properties of protein-nanoparticle composites. Conclusion. References. PART 3: PROPERTIES AND MECHANISMS OF DEGRADATION Standards for environmentally biodegradable plastics Gerald Scott, Aston University, Birmingham, UK Why standards are necessary. Bio-based polymers. The post-use treatment of plastics for the recovery of value. Mechanisms of polymer biodegradation. Laboratory studies. The development of national and international standards for biodegradable plastics. Lessons from the past and future developments. Acknowledgments. References. Material properties of biodegradable polymers Mrinal Bhattacharya, Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, USA, Rui L Reis, Vitor Correlo and Luciano Boesel, Department of Polymer Engineering, University of Minho, Portugal Introduction. Biodegradation. Natural polymers. Microbial polyesters. Synthetic polyesters. Poly-lactic acid. Poly(glycolic) acid. Polycaprolactone. Poly(alkene succinate). Aliphatic-Aromatic Copolyesters. Poly(orthoesters). Polyanhydrides. Polycarbonates/Polyiminocarbonates. Blends. Water soluble polymers. Future developments. References. Mechanism of biodegradation Shuichi Matsumura, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Japan Introduction. Biodegradation mechanism: overview. Biodegradation mechanism of naturally occurring polymers. Biodegradation mechanism of polyesters. Biodegradation mechanism of polycarbonates and polyethers. Biodegradation mechanism of poly(vinyl alcohol). Biodegradation mechanism of polyurethanes. Biodegradation mechanism of poly(amino acid). Biodegradation mechanism of miscellaneous polymers. Future trends. Bibliography. Enzymatic Degradation of Polymers Giridhar Madras, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, India Introduction. Vinyl Polymers. Hydrolyzable polymers. Natural Biodegradable Polymers. Conclusion. References. PART 4: INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS Oxo-biodegradable polyolefins in packaging David M. Wiles, Plastichem Consulting, Canada Introduction. Characteristics of packaging plastics. Oxo-biodegradable polyolefins. Disposal. Recovery. Environmental impact. References. Biodegradable plastics in agriculture Gerald Scott, Aston University, UK Plasticulture. Oxo-biodegradation of polyolefins in the environment. The impact of degradable plastics on the environment. Future developments. Acknowledgements. References. Generation of Biodegradable Polycaprolactone Foams in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Long Yu, Katherine Dean, CSIRO-Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology, Melbourne, Qun Xu, College of Materials Eng., Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R.China Introduction. Generation of polycaprolactone foams. Effect of processing conditions on the foaming cell. Crystallinity of foamed polycaprolactone. Conclusion. References.