Sustainable (Bio)polymers
- Introduction
- 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.
- Monomers and polymers from biomass
- Monomers (and polymers) derived from biomass: Biorefinery.
- Natural polymers
- Natural polymers (cellulose, starch, lignin, gelatine, chitin, chitosan etc.): Structures, properties, advantages and disadvantages.
- Bio-based, non-biodegradable polymers
- Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET), polyurethane (PU), polyamide (PA).
- Petroleum-based biodegradable polymers
- Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS).
- Sustainable polymers from biomass
- Polylactic acid (PLA): synthesis, crystallization, properties, processing, biodegradation, applications. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs): types, properties, synthesis, processing, applications.
- Biocomposites
- Biocomposites, classification, natural fibers.
- Applications
- Applications of bioplastics and biocomposites: packaging, food, foams, medicine (drugs and drug delivery), personal care, textiles etc.
- End of life options
- End of life options for plastics: Recycling (mechanical, chemical), composting, waste-to-energy, land fill operations.
- Environmental assessments
- 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.
- Laboratory project
- Laboratory project on: synthesis of biopolymers, or 3D printing of biopolymers, or preparation of biopolymer composites or preparation of biopolymer gels or depolymerization.