Jiang Yi, Loos Katja
Department of Polymer Chemistry, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
Dutch Polymer Institute (DPI), P.O. Box 902, 5600 AX Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Polymers (Basel). 2016 Jun 25;8(7):243. doi: 10.3390/polym8070243.
Nowadays, "green" is a hot topic almost everywhere, from retailers to universities to industries; and achieving a green status has become a universal aim. However, polymers are commonly considered not to be "green", being associated with massive energy consumption and severe pollution problems (for example, the "Plastic Soup") as a public stereotype. To achieve green polymers, three elements should be entailed: (1) green raw materials, catalysts and solvents; (2) eco-friendly synthesis processes; and (3) sustainable polymers with a low carbon footprint, for example, (bio)degradable polymers or polymers which can be recycled or disposed with a gentle environmental impact. By utilizing biobased monomers in enzymatic polymerizations, many advantageous green aspects can be fulfilled. For example, biobased monomers and enzyme catalysts are renewable materials that are derived from biomass feedstocks; enzymatic polymerizations are clean and energy saving processes; and no toxic residuals contaminate the final products. Therefore, synthesis of renewable polymers via enzymatic polymerizations of biobased monomers provides an opportunity for achieving green polymers and a future sustainable polymer industry, which will eventually play an essential role for realizing and maintaining a biobased and sustainable society.
如今，“绿色”几乎在各地都是热门话题，从零售商到大学再到工业领域；实现绿色地位已成为一个普遍目标。然而，聚合物通常被认为不是“绿色的”，公众普遍认为其与大量能源消耗和严重污染问题（例如“塑料汤”）有关。要实现绿色聚合物，需要具备三个要素：（1）绿色原材料、催化剂和溶剂；（2）环保的合成工艺；（3）低碳足迹的可持续聚合物，例如（生物）可降解聚合物或可回收或处置且对环境影响较小的聚合物。通过在酶促聚合反应中使用生物基单体，可以实现许多有利的绿色方面。例如，生物基单体和酶催化剂是源自生物质原料的可再生材料；酶促聚合反应是清洁且节能的过程；并且没有有毒残留物污染最终产品。因此，通过生物基单体的酶促聚合反应合成可再生聚合物为实现绿色聚合物和未来可持续聚合物产业提供了机会，这最终将对实现和维持生物基和可持续社会发挥至关重要的作用。
