Biopolymers from Renewable Resources is a compilation of information on the diverse and useful polymers derived from agricultural, animal, and microbial sources. The volume provides insight into the diversity of polymers obtained directly from, or derived from, renewable resources. The beneficial aspects of utilizing polymers from renewable resources, when considering synthesis, pro cessing, disposal, biodegradability, and overall material life-cycle issues, suggests that this will continue to be an important and growing area of interest. The individual chapters provide information on synthesis, processing and properties for a variety of polyamides, polysaccharides, polyesters and polyphenols. The reader will have a single volume that provides a resource from which to gain initial insights into this diverse field and from which key references and contacts can be drawn. Aspects of biology, biotechnology, polymer synthesis, polymer processing and engineering, mechanical properties and biophysics are addressed to varying degrees for the specific biopolymers. The volume can be used as a reference book or as a teaching text. At the more practical level, the range of important materials derived from renewable resources is both extensive and impressive. Gels, additives, fibers, coatings and films are generated from a variety of the biopolymers reviewed in this volume. These polymers are used in commodity materials in our everyday lives, as well as in specialty products.

Biopolymers and Their Industrial Applications: From Plant, Animal, and Marine Sources to Functional Products is a detailed guide to the use of biopolymers for advanced applications across a range of key industries. In terms of processing and cost, bio-based polymers are becoming increasingly viable for an ever-broadening range of novel industrial applications. The book begins with an overview of biopolymers, explaining resources, demands, sustainability, life cycle assessment (LCA) modeling and simulation, and classifications. Further in-depth chapters explore the latest techniques and methodologies for isolation and physicochemical characterization, materials selection, and processing for blends and composites. Chapters 6 to 14 each focus on the preparation and applications of biopolymers in a specific industrial area, including food science and nutraceuticals, medicine and pharmaceuticals, textiles, cosmeceutical, packaging, adhesives and automotive, 3D printing, super capacitor and energy storage devices, and environmental applications. The final chapter compares and analyzes biopolymers alongside synthetic polymers, also offering valuable insight into social, economic, and environmental aspects. This is an essential resource for those seeking to understand, research, or utilize biopolymers in industrial applications. This includes researchers, scientists, and advanced students working in biopolymers, polymer science, polymer chemistry, biomaterials, materials science, nanotechnology, composites, and biotechnology. This is a highly valuable book for scientists, R&D professionals, designers, and engineers across multiple industries and disciplines, who are looking to utilize biopolymers for components and products. Introduces a broad range of industrial application areas, including food, medicine, textiles, cosmetics, packaging, automotive, 3D printing, energy, and more Offers an industry-oriented approach, addressing challenges and explaining the preparation and application of biopolymers for functional products and parts Considers important factors such as resources, classification, sustainability, and life cycle assessment (LCA) modeling and simulation Compares and analyzes biopolymers alongside synthetic polymers, also offering valuable insight into social, economic, and environmental aspects

This book details polysaccharides and other important biomacromolecules covering their source, production, structures, properties, and current and potential application in the fields of biotechnology and medicine. It includes a systematic discussion on the general strategies of isolation, separation and characterization of polysaccharides and proteins. Subsequent chapters are devoted to polysaccharides obtained from various sources, including botanical, algal, animal and microbial. In the area of botanical polysaccharides, separate chapters are devoted to the sources, structure, properties and medical applications of cellulose and its derivatives, starch and its derivatives, pectins, and exudate gums, notably gum arabic. Another chapter discusses the potential of hemicelluloses (xylans and xylan derivatives) as a new source of functional biopolymers for biomedical and industrial applications. The algal polysaccharide, alginate, has significant application in food, pharmaceuticals and the medical field, all of which are reviewed in a separate chapter. Polysaccharides of animal origin are included with separate chapters on the sources, production, biocompatibility, biodegradability and biomedical applications of chitin (chitosan) and hyaluronan. With the increasing knowledge and applications of genetic engineering there is also an introduction in the book to nucleic acid polymers, the genome research and genetic engineering. Proteins and protein conjugates are covered, with one chapter providing a general review of structural glycoproteins, fibronectin and laminin, together with their role in the promotion of cell adhesion in vascular grafts, implants and tissue engineering. Another chapter discusses general aspects of a number of industrial proteins, including casein, caseinates, whey protein, gluten and soy proteins, with emphasis on their medical applications, and with reference to the potential of bacterial proteins. Another natural polymer resource, microbial polyesters, although small compared with polysaccharides and proteins, is also gaining increasing interest in biomedical technology and other industrial sectors. One chapter, therefore, is devoted to microbial polyesters, with comprehensive coverage of their biosynthesis, properties, enzymic degradation and applications. By dealing with biopolymers at the molecular level, the book is aimed at the biomedical and wider materials science communities and provides an advanced overview of biopolymers at the graduate and postgraduate level. In addition it will appeal to both academic and industrial life scientists who are involved in research and development activities in the medical and biotechnology field.

As an area of high topical interest, Biopolymers – New materials for Sustainable Films and Coatings covers the development and utilization of polymers derived from bioresources, with a particular focus on film and coating applications. With growing concern for the environment and the rising price of crude oil, there is increasing demand for non-petroleum-based polymers from renewable resources. Leading research groups worldwide in industry and academe are working on such technology with the objective of applying the latest advances in the field. Written by well-respected experts, this text systematically covers the extraction and production of selected biopolymers as well as their properties and application as films or coatings in a variety of uses. The areas addressed include food packaging, edible coatings, paper coatings and agricultural films. Intended for researchers and students, this book will also be of interest to industry, especially in terms of the practical applications.

Biopolymers and Biodegradable Plastics are a hot issue across the Plastics industry, and for many of the industry sectors that use plastic, from packaging to medical devices and from the construction indusry to the automotive sector. This book brings together a number of key biopolymer and biodegradable plastics topics in one place for a broad audience of engineers and scientists, especially those designing with biopolymers and biodegradable plastics, or evaluating the options for switching from traditional plastics to biopolymers. Topics covered include preparation, fabrication, applications and recycling (including biodegradability and compostability). Applications in key areas such as films, coatings controlled release and tissue engineering are discussed. Dr Ebnesajjad provides readers with an in-depth reference for the plastics industry – material suppliers and processors, bio-polymer producers, bio-polymer processors and fabricators – and for industry sectors utilizing biopolymers – automotive, packaging, construction, wind turbine manufacturers, film manufacturers, adhesive and coating industries, medical device manufacturers, biomedical engineers, and the recycling industry. Essential information and practical guidance for engineers and scientists working with bioplastics, or evaluating a migration to bioplastics. Includes key published material on biopolymers, updated specifically for this Handbook, and new material including coverage of PLA and Tissue Engineering Scaffolds. Coverage of materials and applications together in one handbook enables engineers and scientists to make informed design decisions.

The progressive dwindling of fossil resources, coupled with the drastic increase in oil prices, have sparked a feverish activity in search of alternatives based on renewable resources for the production of energy. Given the predominance of petroleum- and carbon-based chemistry for the manufacture of organic chemical commodities, a similar preoccupation has recently generated numerous initiatives aimed at replacing these fossil sources with renewable counterparts. In particular, major efforts are being conducted in the field of polymer science and technology to prepare macromolecular materials based on renewable resources. The concept of the bio-refinery, viz. the rational exploitation of the vegetable biomass in terms of the separation of its components and their utilisation as such, or after suitable chemical modifications, is thus gaining momentum and considerable financial backing from both the public and private sectors. This collection of chapters, each one written by internationally recognised experts in the corresponding field, covers in a comprehensive fashion all the major aspects related to the synthesis, characterization and properties of macromolecular materials prepared using renewable resources as such, or after appropriate modifications. Thus, monomers such as terpenes and furans, oligomers like rosin and tannins, and polymers ranging from cellulose to proteins and including macromolecules synthesized by microbes, are discussed with the purpose of showing the extraordinary variety of materials that can be prepared from their intelligent exploitation. Particular emphasis has been placed on recent advances and imminent perspectives, given the incessantly growing interest that this area is experiencing in both the scientific and technological realms. Discusses bio-refining with explicit application to materials Replete with examples of applications of the concept of sustainable development Presents an impressive variety of novel macromolecular materials