Biodegradable Polymers for Industrial Applications
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Author(s): R. Smith (Ed.)
Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
ISBN: 1855739348
Format: hardback
530pp
Price: £135.00, $245.00, €195
Review Date: 15 June 2005
Review: Here biodegradable polymers (biopolymers) are classified according to their origins into two groups: ‘natural polymers’, polymers that come from natural resources and ‘synthetic polymers’ that are synthesised from crude oil. It is divided into five parts. The first part of the book has chapters describing: polyhydroxyalkanoates, oxo-biodegradable polyolefins, aliphatic polyesters, biodegradable polyesteramides, and thermoplastic starch biodegradable polymers. The second part looks at the materials used for the production of biodegradable polymers, from sugars, natural fibres, and renewable forest resources, as well as poly(lactic acid)based bioplastics. Part III discusses the properties of degradable polymers and the mechanisms of decay. Finally, the last part gives industrial applications of degradable polymers in packaging and agriculture.