Sustainable (Bio)polymers

Syllabus

Polymer and biopolymer synthesis aimed to provide sustainable solutions and/or assemblies with biotechnological applications.

1. Introduction to plastic pollution and proposed solutions: Recycling, Biodegradable polymers. (Definitions: Bio-based, Biodegradable, Compostable, Biomass, Carbon footprint, Life cycle analysis (LCA)). Basic principles of sustainable chemistry: prevention, atom economy and other sustainability metrics, use of renewable resources, safety, reduction of energy requirements.
2. Monomers (and polymers) derived from biomass: Biorefinery.
3. Natural polymers (cellulose, starch, lignin, gelatine, chitin, chitosan etc.): Structures, properties, advantages and disadvantages.
4. Bio-based, non-biodegradable polymers: polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET), polyurethane (PU), polyamide (PA).
5. Petroleum-based biodegradable polymers: poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(butylene succinate (PBS).
6. Sustainable polymers from biomass: a. polylactic acid (PLA) synthesis, crystallization, properties, processing, biodegradation, applications, b. polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) types, properties, synthesis, processing, applications.
7. Biocomposites, classification, natural fibers.
8. Applications of bioplastics and biocomposites: packaging, food, foams, medicine (drugs and drug delivery), personal care, textiles etc.
9. End of life options for plastics: Recycling (mechanical, chemical), composting, waste-to energy, land fill operations.
10. Environmental assessments, LCA of sustainable plastics, biodegradation standards for polymers (industrial composting, marine composting, anaerobic digestion, active landfill, home compost, solid biodegradation), determination of bio-based carbon content.
11. Laboratory project on: synthesis of biopolymers, or 3D printing of biopolymers, or preparation of biopolymer composites or preparation of biopolymer gels or depolymerization.

Learning Outcomes

This course aims to provide up-to-date knowledge on principles of sustainability, sustainable polymers chemistry and a grasp on the design and applications of biodegradable and/or biobased plastics as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics.

Upon completion of the course the students should be able to:

• Understand the basic definitions and principles of sustainable polymers and biodegradable polymers,
• Incorporate the principles of sustainability into polymer science concepts
• Assess the main features of polymeric materials in terms of sustainability.
• Describe how biomass can be transformed into chemical building blocks and biobased polymers.
• Understand how biomass can be transformed into valuable chemical synthons and polymers.
• Evaluate the application and fate of polymers as a function of their chemical structure.
• Incorporate innovative techniques which could potentially enhance the sustainability on lab and industrial scale (photochemistry, electrochemistry, flow chemistry…)
• Work in multidisciplinary environments requiring basic polymer chemistry sustainability understanding (within the framework of a diploma thesis or Erasmus).

Recommended Bibliography

1. Applied Biopolymer Technology and Bioplastics: Sustainable Development by Green Engineering Materials, Tatiana G. Volova, A. K. Haghi, Neha Kanwar Rawat (Editors), 1st Edition, CRC Press, USA, 2021.
2. Green Plastics: An Introduction to the New Science of Biodegradable Plastics, E. S. Stevens, Princeton University Press, 2002.
3. Soil Degradable Bioplastics for a Sustainable Modern Agriculture, Ed. Mario Malinconico, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany 2017.

Related academic journals

• Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, ASC
• Sustainable Materials and Technologies, Elsevier