Biopolymers and Bioplastics

Biography

Biography: Sigbritt Karlsson

Abstract

Recently researcher and manufacturer of polymeric materials (or plastics) seem to have failed to answer to the rising number of questions with respect to e.g. plastic littering in oceans and on land. In parallel, an increasing worry is correlated with the risk for health effects due to exposure to various additives from polymeric materials. So while the introduction of plastics in the 1930th-1940th meant better food hygiene and health aspects among other things, we are now in a situation where a series of problems needs to be addressed in order secure sustainable development with respect to materials [1] . Many of the benefits associated with polymeric materials made from traditional resources (i.e. oil) such as inertness and long-term stability are now instead becoming problems with respect to waste and littering. This is one reason for the search for more sustainable resources which has led to an increasing and renewed interest in natural polymers or biopolymers. The potential of using resources from a number of available natural resources is large, but not without problems. For the last 20 years or so there has been a growing number of research results and commercialization targeting renewable monomers and biopolymers e.g. PLA, gluten. A large interest in polymers from forestry has given rise to new routes of applications using cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, cellulose derivatives alone or in biocomposites [2, 3]. This presentation will present and discuss routes to design sustainable polymers and biocomposites and compare obtained polymeric properties with degradation. Potential implications to environment will be elaborated. To develop and use sustainable polymeric materials imply closing the plastic loop having awareness on the risk for environmental impact all the way round the cycle from synthesis to plastic waste management, recycling and back to synthesis.