Iqra Abdul Rashid

Lecturer
Polymer Engineering department

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Bio Polymers

PE-4109
Lecture # 01

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 Outline
• Bio degradable polymers
• Structure and properties
• Mechanism of biodegradable polymers
• Types of bioerosion
• Enzymatic or chemical degradation
• Synthetic biodegradable polymers
• Factors affecting biodegradation of polymers
• Advantages of biodegradable polymers
• Applications of biodegradable polymers

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Bio degradable polymers
• Biodegradable polymers are a specific type of polymers that
breaks down after its intended purpose to result in natural
byproducts such as gases (CO2, N2), water, biomass, and inorganic
salts.
• These polymers are found both naturally and synthetically made,
and largely consist of ester, amide, and ether functional groups.
Their properties and breakdown mechanism are determined by their
exact structure. These polymers are often synthesized by
condensation reactions, ring opening polymerization, and metal
catalysts. There are vast examples and applications of biodegradable
polymers.
• Bio-based packaging materials have been introduced as a green
alternative in the past decades, among which, edible films have
gained more attention due to their environmentally-friendly
characteristics, vast variety and availability, non-toxicity, and low
cost.

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Structure and properties
• The structure of biodegradable polymers is instrumental in their properties.
While there are innumerable biodegradable polymers, both synthetic and
natural, there are a few commonalities among them.
Structure
• Biodegradable polymers tend to consist of ester, amide, or ether bonds. In
general, biodegradable polymers can be grouped into two large groups
based on their structure and synthesis. One of these groups is agro-
polymers, or those derived from biomass. The other consists of
biopolyesters, which are those derived from microorganisms or
synthetically made from either naturally or synthetic monomers.
• Agro-polymers include polysaccharides, like starches found in potatoes or
wood, and proteins, such as animal based whey or plant derived gluten.
Polysacharides consist of glycosidic bonds, which take a hemiacetal of a
saccharide and binds it to a alcohol via loss of water. Proteins are made
from amino acids, which contain various functional groups. These amino
acids come together again through condensation reactions to form peptide
bonds, which consist of amide functional groups. Examples of
biopolyesters includes polyhydroxybutyrate and polylactic acid.
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Biodegradable polymers organization based on structure and occurrence

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• A few man-made polymers, however, are also biodegradable.
• The hydrophilic character of the polymers greatly affects their
biodegradability.
• A general rule is that polar polymers are more readily biodegradable. Other
important polymer characteristics that affect the biodegradability include
crystallinity and chain flexibility.
• Besides being able to biodegrade, it is often important for a polymer to
exhibit certain physical properties, such as stiffness, flexibility, water
resistance, strength, elongation, temperature stability, or gas permeability .
• The intended application often dictates the necessary properties. for
example, in the case of sheets and films for usage as packaging materials,
the desired criteria of performance include elongation, printability, and
temperature stability, etc.
• Since the number of biodegradable polymers is limited, it is often difficult,
or impossible, to select a single polymer or copolymer that meets all the
desired performance criteria.
• Polymers that have a high glass transition temperature (Tg) are difficult to
be blown into films or they are too brittle for their use as a packaging
material. In contrast, polymers that with a low glass transition temperature
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show low softening and melting temperatures.
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 Types of bioerosion

1. Bulk erosion
• Degradation takes place throughout the
whole of the sample.
• Ingress of water is faster than the rate of
degradation
e.g. Polylactic acid (PLA)
Polyglycolic acid (PGA)
2. Surface erosion
• Sample is eroded from the surface
• Mass loss is faster than the ingress of water
into the bulk
e.g Polyanhydrides
polyorthoesters

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Enzymatic or chemical degradation

• Chemical or enzymatic degradation: it is mediated by water,

enzymes and microorganisms

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Synthetic biodegradable polymers
Aliphatic polyesters
• These are prepared by ring opening polymerization of cyclic ester
• Aliphatic polyesters include:
1. Poly (Glycolic Acid)
2. Poly (Lactic Acid)
3. Poly (Caprolactone)

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Polylactic Acid

• Polylactic Acid or polylactide (PLA) is a thermoplastic aliphatic

polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch,
tapioca products (roots, chips, or starch) or sugarcane.
• It can biodegrade under certain conditions, such as the presence of
oxygen, and is difficult to recycle.
• Highly crystalline, high melting point, low solubility.
• Bacterial fermentation is used to produce lactic acid from corn
starch or cane sugar.
Applications
• PLA is used in the preparation of sutures or orthopedic devices.

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