Biodegradable polymer blends and composites from renewable resources

Renewable resources have become the obvious choice of many for developing safe, sustainable, and eco-friendly plastic materials because of the increasing concerns such as stringent government regulations, issues pertaining to plastic disposability, and the reduction of fossil resources availability. The necessity for renewable and biodegradable materials has witnessed huge growth in different fields of engineering and technology recently. The development of biodegradable polymers like poly-lactic acid (PLA) has been given prime focus by many researchers to reduce the disposal hazard posed by traditional plastics on the environment, and these materials are considered to be a better substitute for various commercial plastic materials. It was also stated in some research that PLA cannot be degraded in seawater. The rate of degradation of various other biodegradable polymeric materials depends upon their environments, such as seawater or soil, or their use in other applications. Hence, this chapter comprehensively deals with the production and characteristics of biodegradable polymers and plastics, paving the way for effective sustainable development. Specifically, biodegradable polymers like PLA, poly-caprolactone (PCL), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), and so on are dealt with in terms of their physical and chemical properties. Also, biodegradable polymers derived from renewable sources and the production of biodegradable composites are also dealt with in detail in this chapter. Overall, this chapter provides an intensive research insight into the potentiality of biodegradable polymers to act as substitutes for current synthetic plastics.