Bio-based polyamide

Abstract Biobased polymers are sustainable polymers produced from renewable resources such as biomass feedstocks instead of the industrial fossil resources such as petroleum and natural gases. This trend helps in creating an environmentally friendly chemical processing that is characterized by low carbon footprint emission to the globe which in turn will limit the increase of the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration even after their incineration. Synthesis of polymeric materials from biobased resources also solves the problem of polymer waste recycling. This chapter covers a basic background on the origin and importance of biobased polyamides, different synthetic routes of their starting monomeric materials obtained from biomass feedstocks, and a brief summary of the physical and chemical properties and applications of some common aliphatic, semiaromatic and fully aromatic polyamides. This chapter ends with a recent published data on the growth of the global market of biobased polyamides to emphasize on the economic importance of this manufacturing trend.