Starch-based biodegradable polymers

New types of renewable feedstock such as palm oil for manufacture of starch-based biodegradable polymers. 

Starch based biodegradable polymers (including modified starch blends)... 

Other leading starch-based biodegradable polymer manufacturers are Biotec and BIOP Biopolymers. 

In terms of biodegradable polymers, PLA is finding growing use for manufacture of thermoformed articles such as single-use disposable cups and trays, particularly for outdoor events. Starch-based biodegradable polymers can also be thermoformed for production of trays and containers for packaging fresh food and convenience food. 

Excluding loose-fill packaging, which is a relatively more mature sector for starch-based biodegradable polymers, global market tonnage in 2005 is 71,700 tonnes and the compound annual growth rate for the period 2005-2010 is projected to be 20.3%. 

Some examples of new applications development for starch-based biodegradable polymers are outlined below. 

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. 

Table 5.1 shows global consumption of starch-based biodegradable polymers by major world region for the years 2000, 2005 and 2010. 

The major world suppliers of starch-based biodegradable polymers are described below. 

Loose-fill packaging was one of the first successful areas of application for starch-based biodegradable polymers. Loose-fill starch-based foam is used for packaging consumer products as an alternative to polystyrene and polyethylene. While, biodegradable plastics have made some inroads into these markets, the future prospects for their growth in loose-fill are not so exciting as they are in some other areas of packaging. 

Starch-based biodegradable polymers will continue to experience good growth in these applications over the next five years. 

Nvyro was established to produce cassava (tapioca) starch based packaging solutions. Tapioca is one of the cheapest sources of raw materials for manufacture of starch based biodegradable polymers. 

Novamont makes Mater-Bi, another starch-based biodegradable polymer. This material is widely used for bags for collection of organic wastes for composting. Novamont claims programs serving over 15 million people use Mater-Bi bags and carriers for collection of... 

Starch-based biodegradable polymers have been introduced in order to enhance the properties and applications of starch. Starch has been physically or chemically modified with synthetic degradable polymeric materials by using various methods such as blending, derivation, and copolymerization. Numerous polymers (mainly biodegradable), including polyesters and biopolymers, have been blended with starch to produce starch-based biodegradable polymers. 

Starch-based biodegradable polymers have been widely investigated in bone tissue engineering. 

The reference commercial starch-based biodegradable polymers are marketed by Novamont in Italy imder the name Mater-Bi . This starch-based technology permits going beyond conventional compounding. In the presence of different synthetic polymers, starch can undergo a thermoplastic transformation up to destructurisation the destructurised starch composites can reach starch contents higher than 50% [83]. 

The two leading producers of starch-based biodegradable polymers are Novamont, with Mater-Bi, and Warner-Lambert s Novon Products Group. 

Shogren RL, Fanta GF, Doane WM, Development of Starch-Based Plastics -A Reexamination of Selected Polymer Systems In Historical-Perspective , Starch-Starke, v45 (8) 276-280 (1993). (Excellent review of original studies in starch based biodegradable polymers.)... 

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