Biodegradable polymers environmental problems

The relevance of photocatalysis in solving the environmental problems manifests itself in effective degradation of many pollutants, which are not sensitive to biodegradation, like the majority of synthetic polymers, among others polyfAT -vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) (266). 

The recognized lack of biodegradability of most commercial polymers, in particular those used for food packaging, focused public attention on the potential global environmental problem associated with plastic waste build-up in the countryside and on the seashore. Therefore, there is a growing demand for sea-biodegradable polymers. 

Synthetic polymers are not easily biodegraded and can cause an environmental problem of disposal. One answer is for them to be recycled. 

Can biodegradable polymers solve the problems of environmental pollution created by packaging industry applications of polymers Justify your answer. 

More recently, in the last 25 years, it has become increasingly apparent that, in addition to the major commodity synthetic plastics, water-soluble commodity and specialty polymers and plastics, such as poly(acrylic acids), polyacrylamide, poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(aIkylene oxides), and even some modified natural polymers, for example, cellulosics and starch, may potentially contribute to environmental problems and should also be targets for biodegradable substitutes. 

Motivated by economic crises, the depletion of petroleum resources together with rising environmental concerns have contributed to biocomposites gaining importance with time. Fibers like jute, hemp, coir, etc., are not only raw materials for biocomposite, but also meet the needs of the environment. Natural fiber like jute and biodegradable polymer used for making composites are considered as the most environmentally friendly materials due to their renewable and degradable nature. ITowever, many problems like poor adhesion between matrix and fiber, difficulty of fiber orientation. 

As mentioned previously, great attention has been paid to the development of kenaf fiber-reinforced polymer composites. This is in conjunction with the tremendous global awareness associated with the environmental impact of the disposal of conventional materials, which are certainly nondegradable. Therefore, recent work by the authors is an attempt to produce a material which is comparable to the conventional one together with the benefit of biodegradability, which will then at least lessen the environmental problems. 

The naturally biodegradable polymers such as starch, chitosan and cellulose derived from natural sources have produced a number of interesting NR blends and IPNs. These blended systems have an advantage in that they create fewer waste disposal problems compared to the petroleum based polymeric materials. The use of stareh blends to enhance the biodegradability of conventional plastics has been reported by many researchers in order to reduce the environmental impaet of petroleum based plastic products and waste. The NR/maize stareh blends exhibited a decrease in their mechanical strength due to the speeifie properties of starch. However, the blended polymers showed a low interfaeial interaetion between the two phases due to the different polarity behaviour of the hydrophobic NR and the hydrophilic starch. 

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