Sustainable Biodegradable and Bio-based Polymers

Abstract

Plastics have found their use in various sectors like automobiles, automation, defense, space, agriculture from a viewpoint of versatility and high strength-to-weight ratios. The increase in the amount of concern for our technological development corresponds to that toward the environment, which has increased multifold over the last two decades. This criterion shift has influenced many developing countries, including India, to pay more attention to the issue of synthetic plastic use. Looking toward the environmental consequences, economic characteristics, and social use of plastic, both industry and consumers have felt a strong pull toward the use of biodegradable and bio-based plastic. They have increasingly been used in various applications in the automotive industry, packaging, agriculture, and consumer electronics. The term “biodegradable” generally refers to material that has the ability to undergo chemical processes by which the microorganisms reduce complex formulations into natural substances such as carbon dioxide (CO2), biomass, and water. Biodegradable plastics can be made from natural/petrochemical sources and their chemistry allows a quicker break down in the environment. However, it needs specific environmental conditions to break down. The degradation starts with a chemical process that brings about thermal, photocatalytic, or hydrolytic induced oxidation, followed by a biological process that evolves CO2 and methane as the degradation products. The terms “bio-based plastic” and “biodegradable plastic” are sometimes used interchangeably but they are not the same. However, the bio-based plastic is obtained from nonfossil/biological (plant or animal) resources. In this chapter, we have focused on the prospects of sustainable biodegradable plastic concerning social, economic, and environmental stability. In addition, we have also discussed the prospect of deriving bio-based plastics from vegetative waste, which is a very sustainable pathway toward mass production.