Biopolymer polyhydroxy acids

Direct Large-Scale-Degradation of the Biopolymer Polyhydroxy-butanoate to (R)-3-Hydroxybutanoic Acid and its Methyl Ester. 

Polyhydroxy acids are another group of biopolymers. Since polylactic acids, polyglycolic acid, and poly(citric acid) are classified as thermoplastic polyesters (saturated), they lack reactive functional groups for surface reactions. Moreover, any chemical manipulation to create activation sites results in hydrolysis of the ester bonds. The only reported successful methods for functionalization of polyhydroxy acids are blending them with ECPs, or using a plasma polymerization process [29]. Prior to the plasma polymerization process, surface activation or ionization of these biopolymers must be carried out, which is acquired by means of vapor phase deposition, laser deposition, microwave or synchrotron radiation [30], pulsed arc, pulsed combustion, spark, or friction induction [30], electron beams, plasma induction, corona, photons, ion beams, and X-rays [25]. 

During the process of biotechnical synthesis - usually a fermentative process - polymers primarily composed of micro-organisms are derived (one product, e.g. is Biopol). These polymers serve as energy storage for the micro-organisms. In comparison, starch fulfills the task of energy storage in plants. The most important example of fermented biopolymers to be mentioned here is polyhydroxy butyric acids and their copolyesters (one product is, e.g., Biopol). ... 

The book is organized in several chapters and deals with the most important biopolymer classes like the different polysaccharides (starch, cellulose, chitin), lignin, proteins and (polyhydroxy alkanoates) as raw materials for bio-based plastics, as well as with materials derived from bio-based monomers like lipids, poly(lactic acid), polyesters, polyamides and polyolefines. Additional chapters on general topics - the market and availability of renewable raw materials, the importance of bio-based content and the aspect of biodegradability - provide important information related to all bio-based polymer classes. 

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