Bio-based plastics boom: Products chains and markets

Today, public concern about the environment, climate change and limited fossil fuel resources are important drivers for governments, companies and scientists to find alternatives to crude oil. Bio-based plastics may offer important contributions by reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and the related environmental impacts. In the past few decades, many new polymers from renewable feedstocks were developed.

For example, starch, i.e. a naturally occurring polymer, was rediscovered as plastic material. Other examples are PLA that can be produced via lactic acid from fermentable sugar and PHAs which can be produced from vegetable oil next to other bio-based feedstocks. Recent developments in emerging bio-based plastics are spectacular from a technological point of view.

… More at http://www.plastemart.com/Plastic-Technical-Article.asp?LiteratureID=1651&Paper=product-overview-and-market-projection-of-emerging-bio-based-plastics

Keywords: climate, fossil, resources, government, bio-based plastics, PHA, sugar, developments

Source

plastemart.com, 2011-08-01.

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