Biopolymers plastics

PLA/PCL-OMMT nano-composites were prepared effectively using fatty amides as clay modifier. The nano-composites shows increasing mechanical properties and thermal stability (Hoidy et al, 2010c). New biopolymer nano-composites were prepared by treatment of epoxidized soybean oil and palm oil, respectively plasticized PLA modified MMT with fatty nitrogen compounds. The XRD and TEM results confirmed the production of nanocomposites. The novelty of these studies is use of fatty nitrogen compoimds which reduces the dependence on petroleum-based surfactants (Al-Mulla et al., 2011 Al-Mulla et ah, 2011 Al- Mulla et ah, 2010c). 

Biodegradable films made from edible biopolymers from renewable sources could become an important factor in reducing the environmental impact of plastic waste. Proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides are the main biopolymers employed to make edible films and coatings. Which of these components are present in different proportions and determine the properties of the material, as a barrier to water vapor, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and lipid transfer in food systems (Gomez-Guillen et al. 2002 and 2009). 

The diverse field of biopol miers outlined in this book does underline its importance today. We can expect to see biopolymers in packaging, medicine, construction, in fact in almost every part of life - just as S)mthetic plastics are ubiquitous with everyday life at the moment. 

As an example of good choice of starting materials, NEC were interested in making wide use of biopolymers instead of petrochemically derived plastics and composites in their consumer electronics. There is a desire to use renewable materials to reduce reliance on non-renewables and to avoid the predicted rising cost of petrochemically derived materials. A range of biopolymers already exist, but they lack the performance required for products such as mobile phones, portable entertainment devices and mobile computers. 

Should all plastics that are made in the future be biodegradable Biopolymers, such as proteins and starches, are used to produce one type of biodegradable plastic. Find out more about biodegradable plastics. How are they made, and how do they break down What are the risks and benefits ... 

Biopolymers are certainly a product of the future. Their high eco-efficiency in some applications drives the development of these plastics [133]. In some niche markets, their higher production costs resulting from time-consuming purification and less than ideal raw materials can be neglected, but for large-scale applications of several million tons per year and real competitiveness with commodity polymers, new catalytic routes that lead directly to the polymeric material without generation of side-products are necessary. 

The surface tension of polymers (synthetic polymers such as plastics, biopolymers such as proteins and gelatin) is indeed of much interest in many areas. In industry where plastics are used, the adhesion of these materials to other materials (such as steel, glass) is of much interest. The adhesion process is very complex since the demand on quality and control is very high. This is also because adhesion systems are part of many life-sustaining processes (such as implants, etc.). The forces involved in adhesion need to be examined, and we will consider some typical examples in the following text. 

Polyhydroxybutyric acid (PHB) is a bacterial biopolymer which has gained much interest because of its potential use as a biodegradable plastic material. This compound is produced by various terrestrial bacteria and serves as an energy reservoir. PHB is usually highly polymeric (10,000 monomer units) and is stored in the bacteria as an insoluble material in inclusion bodies that are visible with an electron microscope 1111]. Although PHB has been inten-... 

Macro-coating is used mainly to stabilise fragrances or transform them from liquid to free-flowing solid powder. Microencapsulation or nanoencapsulation is the process of enclosing a substance inside a miniature capsule. These capsules are referred to as microcapsules or nanocapsules. The substance inside the capsule can be a gas, liquid or solid. The capsule wall can consist of various materials, such a wax, plastic or biopolymers like proteins or polysaccharides. 

F. Photodegradation of polymers-. Photodegradation of polymers assumes importance in two different contexts (i) ultraviolet and visible radiations are harmful to biopolymers like DNA, polysaccharides, proteins, etc. and an understanding of their mode of photolysis is important in life processes and (ii) more and more use of plastic materials in everyday life has created a problem of disposal. 

PHB has been shown to accumulate to levels approaching 90% of the bacterial dry cell weight when these pathway enzymes have been overexpressed.345 With these efficiencies and with governmental support for developing this technology in plants, it will just be a matter of time before the production of biopolymers such as these can compete economically with the petrochemically derived plastics.345... 

In this case the biopolymers are directly plasticized by thermomechanical means, and transformed through the classical forming technologies of the plastic industry injection-moulding, extrusion and thermoforming. These agromaterials keep a natural aspect, they are sensitive to the atmospheric conditions like wood, but they have no shape restrictions (Figure 5.20). 

Agromaterials demonstrate that it is possible to profitably transform raw agricultural products without separation and that almost all non-cellulosic biopolymers can be plasticized in situ to constitute a natural continuous matrix for cellulosic fibres. 

The leading suppliers are Novamont, NatureWorks, BASF and Rodenburg Biopolymers, which together represent over 90% of the European market for biodegradable plastics. 

Applications development to achieve higher production volumes will be crucial for continued market expansion. Production costs for biopolymers still remain high because of low volumes, and profitability of biodegradable plastics products is still too low. Hence, volumes must be increased if unit costs are to fall and profitability is to improve. 

The major classes of biopolymer, starch and starch blends, polylactic acid (PLA) and aliphatic-aromatic co-polyesters, are now being used in a wide variety of niche applications, particularly for manufacture of rigid and flexible packaging, bags and sacks and foodservice products. However, market volumes for biopolymers remain extremely low compared with standard petrochemical-based plastics. For example, biopolymer consumption accounted for just 0.14% of total thermoplastics consumption in Western Europe for 2005. 

In 2006, there are around 30 major companies worldwide that are actively involved in developing biodegradable plastic materials. The synthetic biopolymers market is dominated by large, global and vertically integrated chemical companies such as BASF, DuPont, and Mitsubishi Gas Chemicals. The starch and PLA sectors contain mainly specialist biopolymer companies such as Novamont, NatureWorks, Rodenburg Biopolymers and Biotec, which were specifically established purely to develop biodegradable polymers. 

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