Biobased and/or Biodegradable Polymeric Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past few decades, the worldwide production of synthetic polymers (human-made polymers commonly produced from fossil-based chemicals) has increased almost exponentially and, thus, has led to significant issues. On the one hand, the high volatility of oil prices and limited reserves of fossil resources are now important drawbacks. On the other hand, polymer synthesis from fossil resources may contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and the main use of these polymers for short term applications results in persistent plastics debris accumulating in the environment. It is, thus, necessary to develop more eco-friendly polymers to reduce the current dependence on fossil resources and also decrease the production of pollutants. The development of biodegradable and/or biobased polymers has thus gained increasing interest over the past twenty years to meet such growing demand for sustainable development. Biodegradable polymers can be obtained from either renewable or fossil sources while bio-based polymers are either biodegradable or durable (non-biodegradable). Biodegradable polymers such as polysaccharides or aliphatic polyesters are particularly significant as a potential solution for the reduction of plastic wastes pollution. On the other hand, bio-based polymers, synthesized from renewable resources using chemical methods or even enzymatic routes as a greener approach, have recently received considerable attention in an effort to replace petroleum-based plastics with polymers displaying much lower ecological footprint.

This Special Issue of International Journal of Material Science will thus aim at presenting the most recent findings in the field of biodegradable and/or bio-based polymeric materials.

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