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8.2 Oil-Based and Bio-Derived Thermoplastic Polymer Blends
and Composites
8.1 Introduction Alessia Quitadamo, Valerie Massardier and Marco Valente
(^1) INSA de Lyon, IMP/CNRS 5223, Lyon, France
(^2) University of Rome La Sapienza, Department of Chemical and Material Engineering, Rome, Italy
There mustbe abetter wayto make thethings we want,awaythat doesn’t spoil
thesky,ortherainor theland.
Paul McCartney
8.1 Introduction
The importance assumed by polymer materials in our world is evident and is more
ancient than we can imagine.
Polymers like wood, silk, wool and cotton are among the first materials known by the
men, though their deep nature has been known only in the twentieth century.
Important discoveries have been done thanks to observation of nature, trying to learn
from its structures and organizations, as a consequence many synthetic polymers often
hydrophobic have been produced, revolutionizing our routine.
Great importance is related to thermoplastic polymers, thanks to their mechanical
properties, production processes, cheapness and versatile applications. Moreover,
natural polymers are mainly thermoplastics after plasticization process, with properties
rather different from fuel-based thermoplastics such as their hydrophilicity. Hence, this
chapter focuses on both oil-based and bio-derived thermoplastic polymers.
Environmental impact is one of the biggest problems related to synthetic polymers:
end of life of fuel-based polymers can be a problem, especially when they are disposed
off in oceans or on earth. Although many progresses have been done, there are still
problems related to the disposal of non-biodegradable polymer wastes.
The increasing consumption of polymer materials and the increasing importance of
environmental protection directed researches towards new material classes, such as
bio-derived polymers. Many bio-derived polymers are biodegradable, helping reducing
environmental impacts caused by fuel-based polymers. In order to obtain polymers with
new properties and to face the problem of solid polymer wastes, thermoplastic blends
have been developed.Introduction to Renewable Biomaterials: First Principles and Concepts,First Edition.
Edited by Ali S. Ayoub and Lucian A. Lucia.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.