Natural processes, green polymer

It is clear that green polymers, as defined by their biodegradability, are almost exclusively biopolymers. The major classes of biopolymer of interest here are proteins and polysaccharides, naturally occurring biopolymers, and these are subdivided into various sub-classes, with different applications, as described above. Other polymers of interest are the bacterial polyesters and polylactides. All of these polymers have the potential to be processed into new materials, but clearly not all of these will have either attractive properties or be economically viable materials. 

Even though some technologies for processing natural polymer materials have been established for centuries, it is clear that to date, only a very small fraction have been explored. As nature herself has shown, the potential for building different polymer-based materials is almost limitless, and properties and functions can far exceed those attainable with synthetic polymers. Hopefully over the next 50 years the need for green polymers will provide the impetus for the much greater research efforts that are needed to accelerate the man-made evolution of materials based on natural, renewable resource polymers. 

Thakur VK, Singha AS, Mehta IK (2010) Renewable resource-based green polymer composites analysis and characteaization. Int J Polym Anal Charact 15(3) 137-146 Thakur VK, Thakur MK (2014a) Processing and characterization of natural cellulose fibers/thermoset polymta- composites. Carbohydr Polym 109 102-117 Thakur VK, Thakur MK (2014b) Recent trends in hydrogels based on psyllium polysaccharide a review. J Cleaner Prod 82 1—15... 

The significance of green polymer chemistry is clearly a more environmentally acceptable and desirable technology and the major implication is ultimately a sustainable polymer industry based on green chemistry, renewable resources, and natural processes. The transition will be implemented deliberately and slowly over many years as new technology evolves based on renewable resources to replace fossil resources with a minimum of economic penalty to the consumer. 

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