Materials Science World Congress

Biodegradable Polymers: Green material road map

Biodegradable polymers are receiving increasing attention for solving global environmental issues with an emphasis on waste management. These biodegradable materials are made to degrade by a biological process and they can be a more friendly development to the natural environment than the plastic products that take hundreds of years to disintegrate.

It has been established that bio-degradable polymers do not pollute the environment like conventional polymers; instead, they disintegrate into natural components such as C02, water+ biomass, as a result of features like UV light, moisture, and microbes. That makes them ideal for use in products that must be disposed of, for instance in holdings, agriculture plastic films, and products.

Some of the ordinary biodegradable polymers are polylactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoates, and polycaprolactone. They are bio-based, that is, they are synthesized from renewable feedstocks like corn starch, sugarcane, and biomass materials to boot, making them even environmentally friendly. Some of the major markets for PLA are in food packaging applications, disposable food contact items, and applications featured in the medical field, for instance, biodegradable suture materials.

The literature on biodegradable polymers has received much attention in the recent past because of the need for sustainable packaging and environmentally friendly products. Such sectors as food processing manufacturers, agricultural, and healthcare sectors are looking forward to the use of biodegradable products in their practices. Nevertheless, work still has to be done as far as effectiveness in ways of mechanical properties and costs of creating biodegradable polymers are concerned when compared to conventional plastics.

In the coming years, as more books are developed, bio-degradable polymers will be critical in undertaking environmentally friendly practices to do away with plastics as well as embracing renewable materials within several uses