Isha Jain
Polymers are extremely useful materials that have become an irreplaceable component of modern life. Synthetic polymers exhibit a multitude of applications in medicine, agriculture, packaging, and textile industries. Synthetic polymers like poly(ethylene) (PE), poly(propylene) (PP) and poly(styrene) (PS), poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC), poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET), poly (urethane) (PU), etc. are obtained from petroleum-based sources and cover 90% of total synthesized plastics. A recent report revealed that global plastic production has increased from 270 million metric tons in the year 2010 to 370 million metric tons in 2020. The annual production volumes are expected to increase further in the coming years, approximately 590 million metric tons by the year 2050. Due to the non-biodegradability of synthetic polymers, each year post-consumer plastics generate huge waste which is diverted to landfills or the natural environment. These are pervasive and persistent in the environment and cause ecological and health risks at a global scale. In the recent past, a lot of scientific research efforts are devoted to replace non- biodegradable petroleum-based resources with renewable biodegradable polymers, and the polymer industry has witnessed remarkable progress. The bioplastics are rapidly gaining commercial interest globally, which is indicated by the up-trend in the market size which rose up to USD 13.11 billion in 2022 and expected to hit USD 46.1 billion by 2030. Estimated annual growth rate (CAGR) is expected to retain a value of 17.02% from 2022 to 2030. Among the various classes of biodegradable polymers, aliphatic polyesters are of leading interest since hydrolytic or enzymatic cleavage yields hydroxy carboxylic acids which can be metabolized to produce water and carbon dioxide as degradation products without formation of any toxic side product. For example, PLA (polylactide) is an attractive renewable alternative to the petro-based polymers, it decomposes in biological environments or in the presence of microorganisms to H20, C02 and humus to soil.
