Renewable Polymers and Their Processability

We now substitute in the values from Table 11.8 to find the time  

For the purposes of this book, the term petroleum-derived polymers refers to polymers produced from nonrenewable crude oil or natural gas. Also, the term renewablepolymers refers to polymers produced from renewable resources, that is, natural resources that can be replenished within a 100 year time frame. The resources may be replenished naturally or via agricultural techniques. Examples of natural resources are carbohydrates from lignocellulosic biomass, plant oils, and animal fats. Note that the term renewable is used interchangeably with the term sustainable for the purposes of this book. 

On the other hand, the new-to-world renewable polymers are polymers that do not have an identical chemical structure to any of today s petroleum-derived polymers. Examples of these polymers are PLA, PHA and its copolymers, PBS, thermoplastic starch (TPS), poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEE), poly(propylene carbonate) (PPG), and poly(ethylene carbonate) (PEC). The structures of these polymers and their thermal transitions are given in Table 11.9. As we move toward the new green economy and away from the petroleum-based economy, it is expected that the new-to-world renewable polymCTS will dominate the market applications. 

With the desire to reduce the amount of waste remaining in landfills, there is a need to use biodegradable (sometimes also referred to as compostable) polymers in parts of the world where the infrastructure to capture the gases formed exists. Biodegradable polymers come from either renewable resources or petroleum sources. The primary biodegradable polymers from renewable resources are PLA, PHA, TPS, cellulose, chitin, and proteins. The basic structures of these polymers along with some key thermal characteristics are shown in Table 11.9 and will be discussed in more detail in the following section. 

There are three principal ways to produce the new-to-world renewable polymers  

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