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Polymers
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Sustainability of Polymer Materials
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Sustainability of Polymer Materials

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Polymer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 16116

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Loris Pietrelli

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
DAFNE Department, La Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy
Interests: environment and sustainable development; waste treatment; polymers; environmental monitoring; ecology; ornithology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Iolanda Francolini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: polymer characterization; structure–properties relationships; antimicrobial polymers; polyurethanes; drug delivery systems; functionalization of polymers; microbial biofilms; nanocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Antonella Piozzi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: polymer characterization; structure–properties relationships; antimicrobial polymers; drug delivery systems; functionalization of polymers; microbial biofilms; tissue engineering; nanocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Behind the word “plastic”, there are a multitude of polymers that we mainly encounter in everyday life such as in the high-tech areas. The extensive and unsustainable production and consumption of polymers produced from fossil origin has impacted the environment.

What makes a polymer sustainable? Simply, both the origin of the monomers that characterize it (if biobased) and the end-of-life management, which can make one polymer more sustainable than another. Probably, the best way to objectively assess the sustainability of some polymeric materials is Life Cycle Assessment analysis, which can highlight the real reduced environmental impact of products made with sustainable polymers compared to polymers from fossil sources. However, already knowing which new approaches and new technologies are currently available or under study helps to make these materials more sustainable.

Polymer science represents a domain of great interest due to the possible applications of polymers, but polymer industries and research teams are facing a scenario of epochal change in demand: not only for the synthesis and production of new polymers but, above all, for making the conventional polymers, used up to now, environmentally friendly.

This Special Issue aims to explore and report:

  • The recovery and reuse technologies of valuable polymer materials to improve resource utilization and reduce environmental pollution;
  • How to make a polymeric material more sustainable;
  • Where and how to replace a conventional polymer with a biobased one;
  • Strategies to improve production processes;
  • Green industrial processes and new syntheses to produce polymers;
  • Sustainable composites based on polymer materials;
  • Biopolymers;
  • Renewable feedstock;
  • Economics of sustainability;
  • Materials design and manufacturing (eco-design);
  • LCA application;
  • How to accelerate polymer degradation;
  • Structure vs mechanical and chemical properties;
  • Environmental impact and polymer degradation in the environment;
  • Economic impacts of polymer waste diffusion in the environment.

Prof. Dr. Loris Pietrelli
Dr. Iolanda Francolini
Dr. Antonella Piozzi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 12870 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Materials with Improved Biodegradability and Toughness from Blends of Poly(Lactic Acid), Pineapple Stem Starch and Modified Natural Rubber
by Wasan Tessanan, Pranee Phinyocheep and Taweechai Amornsakchai
Polymers 2024, 16(2), 232; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16020232 - 14 Jan 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2545
Abstract
Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), derived from renewable resources, plays a significant role in the global biodegradable plastic market. However, its widespread adoption faces challenges, including high brittleness, hydrophobicity, limited biodegradability, and higher costs compared to traditional petroleum-based plastics. This study addresses these challenges by [...] Read more.
Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), derived from renewable resources, plays a significant role in the global biodegradable plastic market. However, its widespread adoption faces challenges, including high brittleness, hydrophobicity, limited biodegradability, and higher costs compared to traditional petroleum-based plastics. This study addresses these challenges by incorporating thermoplastic pineapple stem starch (TPSS) and modified natural rubber (MNR) into PLA blends. TPSS, derived from pineapple stem waste, is employed to enhance hydrophilicity, biodegradability, and reduce costs. While the addition of TPSS (10 to 40 wt.%) marginally lowered mechanical properties due to poor interfacial interaction with PLA, the inclusion of MNR (1 to 10 wt.%) in the PLA/20TPSS blend significantly improved stretchability and impact strength, resulting in suitable modulus (1.3 to 1.7 GPa) and mechanical strength (32 to 52 MPa) for diverse applications. The presence of 7 wt.% MNR increased impact strength by 90% compared to neat PLA. The ternary blend exhibited a heterogeneous morphology with enhanced interfacial adhesion, confirmed by microfibrils and a rough texture on the fracture surface. Additionally, a downward shift in PLA’s glass transition temperature (Tg) by 5–6 °C indicated improved compatibility between components. Remarkably, the PLA ternary blends demonstrated superior water resistance and proper biodegradability compared to binary blends. These findings highlight the potential of bio-based plastics, such as PLA blends with TPSS and MNR, to contribute to sustainable economic models and reduce environmental impact for using in plastic packaging applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Polymer Materials)
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16 pages, 3066 KiB  
Article
Design of a 3D Amino-Functionalized Rice Husk Ash Nano-Silica/Chitosan/Alginate Composite as Support for Laccase Immobilization
by Francesca Romana Scuto, Clarissa Ciarlantini, Viviana Chiappini, Loris Pietrelli, Antonella Piozzi and Anna M. Girelli
Polymers 2023, 15(14), 3127; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15143127 - 22 Jul 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2001
Abstract
Recycling of agro-industrial waste is one of the major issues addressed in recent years aimed at obtaining products with high added value as a future alternative to traditional ones in the per-spective of a bio-based and circular economy. One of the most produced [...] Read more.
Recycling of agro-industrial waste is one of the major issues addressed in recent years aimed at obtaining products with high added value as a future alternative to traditional ones in the per-spective of a bio-based and circular economy. One of the most produced wastes is rice husk and it is particularly interesting because it is very rich in silica, a material with a high intrinsic value. In the present study, a method to extract silica from rice husk ash (RHA) and to use it as a carrier for the immobilization of laccase from Trametes versicolor was developed. The obtained mesoporous nano-silica was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, Scanning Elec-tron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). A nano-silica purity of about 100% was found. Nano-silica was then introduced in a cross-linked chitosan/alginate scaffold to make it more easily recoverable after reuse. To favor laccase immobilization into the composite scaffold, functionalization of the nano-silica with (γ-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) was performed. The APTES/RHA nano-silica/chitosan/alginate (ARCA) composite al-lowed to obtain under mild conditions (pH 7, room temperature, 1.5 h reaction time) a robust and easily reusable solid biocatalyst with 3.8 U/g of immobilized enzyme which maintained 50% of its activity after six reuses. The biocatalytic system, tested for syringic acid bioremediation, was able to totally oxidize the contaminant in 24 h. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Polymer Materials)
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Review

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32 pages, 3931 KiB  
Review
Biodegradable Biobased Polymers: A Review of the State of the Art, Challenges, and Future Directions
by Swarn Jha, Bhargav Akula, Hannah Enyioma, Megan Novak, Vansh Amin and Hong Liang
Polymers 2024, 16(16), 2262; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16162262 - 9 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 10740
Abstract
Biodegradable biobased polymers derived from biomass (such as plant, animal, marine, or forestry material) show promise in replacing conventional petrochemical polymers. Research and development have been conducted for decades on potential biodegradable biobased polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and succinate [...] Read more.
Biodegradable biobased polymers derived from biomass (such as plant, animal, marine, or forestry material) show promise in replacing conventional petrochemical polymers. Research and development have been conducted for decades on potential biodegradable biobased polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and succinate polymers. These materials have been evaluated for practicality, cost, and production capabilities as limiting factors in commercialization; however, challenges, such as the environmental limitations on the biodegradation rates for biodegradable biobased polymer, need to be addressed. This review provides a history and overview of the current development in the synthesis process and properties of biodegradable biobased polymers, along with a techno-commercial analysis and discussion on the environmental impacts of biodegradable biobased polymers. Specifically, the techno-commercial analysis focuses on the commercial potential, financial assessment, and life-cycle assessment of these materials, as well as government initiatives to facilitate the transition towards biodegradable biobased polymers. Lastly, the environmental assessment focuses on the current challenges with biodegradation and methods of improving the recycling process and reusability of biodegradable biobased polymers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Polymer Materials)
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