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Bio-Based Polymers: History
Please note this is an old version of this entry, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Subjects: Polymer Science
Contributor: Huanli Gao

Bio-based polymers are polymeric materials whose carbon content is derived wholly or partly from renewable biological resources, including biomass-derived carbohydrates, lignocellulosic components, vegetable oils, proteins, or biologically produced monomers [1][2]. The term describes the origin of the polymer's feedstock rather than a particular molecular architecture, synthesis route, or end-of-life behavior. Accordingly, bio-based polymers may be naturally occurring polymers, chemically modified biopolymers, or synthetic polymers produced from bio-derived monomers [1][3]. Their polymer chains can be chemically identical or analogous to those of polymers conventionally produced from fossil resources, or they can possess structures not commonly obtained from petrochemical feedstocks [1]. Bio-based content may therefore be partial or complete and should be distinguished from the material’s total renewable-resource fraction. The designation does not, by itself, imply biodegradability, compostability, biocompatibility, or environmental superiority; these are independent properties requiring separate assessment [2][3]. Thus, bio-based polymers are defined primarily by the renewable biological origin of their constituent carbon, not by degradability or by a requirement that the polymer be naturally produced.

  • bio-based materials
  • renewable feedstocks
  • biopolymers
  • polymer chemistry

Material Selection and Properties • Materials Chemistry • Materials Science • Physical Sciences

References

  1. Hajime Nakajima; Peter Dijkstra; Katja Loos; The Recent Developments in Biobased Polymers toward General and Engineering Applications: Polymers that are Upgraded from Biodegradable Polymers, Analogous to Petroleum-Derived Polymers, and Newly Developed. Polymers 2017, 9, 523, 10.3390/polym9100523.
  2. Thomas F. Garrison; Amanda Murawski; Rafael L. Quirino; Bio-Based Polymers with Potential for Biodegradability. Polymers 2016, 8, 262, 10.3390/polym8070262.
  3. Valentina Siracusa; Ignazio Blanco; Bio-Polyethylene (Bio-PE), Bio-Polypropylene (Bio-PP) and Bio-Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (Bio-PET): Recent Developments in Bio-Based Polymers Analogous to Petroleum-Derived Ones for Packaging and Engineering Applications. Polymers 2020, 12, 1641, 10.3390/polym12081641.
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