Advances in Biopolymers and Bioplastics

Dear Colleagues,

A growing concern about the negative impacts of environmental pollution from plastic product waste has led to a great deal of research activity searching for alternatives that pose a lesser risk to the environment. Biopolymers and bioplastics are possible solutions because they are typically biodegradable materials obtained from renewable sources. Biopolymers are natural polymers produced in the growth cycles of cells of living organisms. They are created by Nature, and therefore can also be degraded by Nature. Natural polymers include cellulose, lignin, starch, collagen, gluten, etc. Biopolymers are used as one of the sources for the preparation of bioplastics, that is, plastics that can be biodegradable and/or made from renewable sources. The most common example is the mechanical or chemical treatment of starch to produce plastics (e.g., thermoplastic starch (TPS)). Other procedures for the production of bioplastics, which can be chemical or biotechnological (i.e., under the influence of enzymes or microorganisms), include the chemical synthesis of monomer-based polymers obtained by the biotechnological conversion of renewable resources (e.g., polylactide), biotechnological procedures based on renewable sources (e.g., synthesis of thermoplastic aliphatic polyesters by the fermentation of sugars performed by natural microorganisms), and chemical syntheses of polymers based on building blocks obtained by petrochemical processes from non-renewable resources.

Biopolymers and bioplastics are not new to the field of polymer science and technology. In recent decades, they have attracted a great deal of interest, not only from the plastics industry, but also from the public. Today, at a time of excessive pollution of the environment with fossil fuels and huge amounts of waste, biopolymers and bioplastics represent one of the possible solutions for reducing the impact of plastic waste on the environment. This Special Issue of Polymers invites contributions addressing all aspects of biopolymer and bioplastic production, applications, and waste management. Contributions can address a variety of topics, including biopolymers for tissue and regenerative medicine, biopolymers of microbial or plant or animal origin and their bioactive/pharmaceutical properties, ocean plastics, nanopolymers, active packaging with polymer or biopolymer composites, biocomposite materials, etc. Any original works on topics related to biopolymers and bioplastics are welcome.

Dr. Ana Pilipović
Guest Editor
Maja Rujnić Havstad
Co-Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.