What are Biopolymers?
14-10-2024
06:30 PM
1 min read
Overview:
Recently, the union minister inaugurated India’s first Demonstration Facility for Biopolymers in Pune.
About Biopolymers:
- These are materials that have been manufactured from biological sources such as fats, vegetable oils, sugars, resins, and proteins.
- The biopolymers have complex structures than synthetic polymers therefore they are more active in vivo.
- Furthermore, as biopolymers are biodegradable their decomposition is easily done by bacteria in soil environment, as compared to synthetic polymers which causes environmental pollution due to incineration.
- Characteristics
- They can control life processes of living organisms and are environmentally friendly.
- They are decomposed by the processes named –oxidation (mainly reaction with oxygen), hydrolysis (decomposition by water) or by some enzymes.
- Some of them are compostable and can show some chemical properties in their surface.
- Bio polymers like polylactic acid, polyglycolate , poly 3-hydroxy butyrate etc. may show plastic properties and instead.
- Benefits:
- These polymers can reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and also decrease carbon emissions.
- This happens because bio-degradation of these chemical compounds can release carbon dioxide that can be reabsorbed by crops grown as a substitute in their place.
Q1: What is Resin?
Resins are vicious, liquid polymers derived from organic or synthetic sources. Their benefit centres on their ability to transition from a liquid into a customisable solid, homogeneous structure. In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Plants secrete resins for their protective benefits in response to injury.