Opportunities for Biodegradable Polymers

This section reviews the market opportunities for manufacturers of biodegradable plastics in packaging markets. 

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What are the future opportunities for biodegradable polymer-clay nanocomposites ... 

This exciting field of biodegradable poly(aspartic acids) has generated many new opportunities for anionic polymers. Some examples of an ever-expanding list include dispersants for oil production [133], tobacco filters [134], cosmetics [135], hydrophobic associating thickeners [136], adhesives [137], and CTOSslinked superabsorbents [138-140]. A recent review on polyaspartic acids up to 1997 includes a large body of information [141]. 

Kobayashi S, Makino A (2009) Enzymatic polymer synthesis an opportunity for green polymer chemistry. Chem Rev 109 5288-5353 Lenz RW (1993) Biodegradable polymers. Adv Polym Sci 107 1 10... 

Starch-based biodegradable polymers also have a better environmental image than synthetic biopolymers as they are based on sustainable resources, which open up marketing opportunities for brand owners who wish to promote their products as being packaged in materials based on sustainable resources. 

PLA is finding new applications in speciality cards such as credit, membership, retail and gift cards. Biodegradable polymers provide retailers and brand owners with an opportunity to provide a more responsible environmental position to traditional plastics such as PVC for these applications. The rigid properties of PLA sheet allow it to be easily scored and PLA also exhibits an optimum surface for printing and varnishing. 

There are also opportunities for serviceware made from biodegradable polymers through retail outlets. Coop Italia for example, became the first retailer in Europe to offer consumers serviceware from NatureWorks PLA in April 2005. The company reported that sales had since exceeded their expectations. 

This research was primarily funded by the Office of Naval Research, Grant No NOOO14-04-1-0703. The authors are also grateful to the National Science Foundation (MRSEC Award DMR 02138830). The authors would like to thank Perstorp Perstorp Specialty Chemicals AB for providing Boltom hyperbranched polyols. The authors thank Dr. Robert Stote for biodegradation measurements at Natick. In addition the authors thank the Polymer Performance, Degradation and Material Selection ACS Symposium Series organizers for the opportunity to present our work and for the preparation of this book. 

Blends of the commodity polymers with more specialty polymers are limited although many specific examples exist in the patent/open literature. In the design of polymer blends for specific application needs, countless opportunities can be envisioned. Examples may include PE/poly(s-caprolactone) (PCL) blends for biodegradable applications (proposed), polyolefin (PO)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVAL) blends for antistatic films, PO/silicone rubber blends for biomedical applications, PO/thermoplastic polyurethane TPU (or other thermoplastic elastomers) for applications similar to plasticized PVC, functionalized PO/thermoset blends. 

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