Background to Biodegradable Polymers

People have been using polymers for thousands of years. In ancient times natural plant gum was used to adhere pieces of wood in house budding. When the ancients started to explore the oeeans, natural plant gum was applied as a waterproof coating to boats. At that time people did not know the extent to which polymers could be put to use, so their use was limited to very specific apphcations. Of course, the ancients depended on plant-derived polymers. No modifications were made to their formulation, nor were polymers synthesized to improve applications. 

Natural rubber has been known about since 1495, when Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Haiti and saw people playing with an elastic ball. At that time rubber latex was harvested from the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis as a stieky lump, which had limited applications. However, by 1844 Charles Goodyear discovered and patented a method to sulfur 

Polylactic Add. DOI http //dx.doi.Org/10.1016/B978-l-4377-4459-0.00001-9 2012 Elsevier Inc. AU rights reserved. 

Although steps have been taken to educate people about the environmental impact caused by the exploitation of plastics, these materials continue to represent the largest proportion of 

Polymers blending with biomass (lignocellulosio, starch, straw...) 

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