Negrete-Bolagay Daniela, Guerrero Víctor H
Department of Materials, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito 170525, Ecuador.
Polymers (Basel). 2024 Sep 10;16(18):2561. doi: 10.3390/polym16182561.
Tremendously negative effects have been generated in recent decades by the continuously increasing production of conventional plastics and the inadequate management of their waste products. This demands the production of materials within a circular economy, easy to recycle and to biodegrade, minimizing the environmental impact and increasing cost competitiveness. Bioplastics represent a sustainable alternative in this scenario. However, the replacement of plastics must be addressed considering several aspects along their lifecycle, from bioplastic processing to the final application of the product. In this review, the effects of using different additives, biomass sources, and processing techniques on the mechanical and thermal behavior, as well as on the biodegradability, of bioplastics is discussed. The importance of using bioplasticizers is highlighted, besides studying the role of surfactants, compatibilizers, cross-linkers, coupling agents, and chain extenders. Cellulose, lignin, starch, chitosan, and composites are analyzed as part of the non-synthetic bioplastics considered. Throughout the study, the emphasis is on the use of well-established manufacturing processes, such as extrusion, injection, compression, or blow molding, since these are the ones that satisfy the quality, productivity, and cost requirements for large-scale industrial production. Particular attention is also given to fused deposition modeling, since this additive manufacturing technique is nowadays not only used for making prototypes, but it is being integrated into the development of parts for a wide variety of biomedical and industrial applications. Finally, recyclability and the commercial requirements for bioplastics are discussed, and some future perspectives and challenges for the development of bio-based plastics are discussed, with the conclusion that technological innovations, economic incentives, and policy changes could be coupled with individually driven solutions to mitigate the negative environmental impacts associated with conventional plastics.
近几十年来，传统塑料产量的持续增长及其废品管理不善产生了极大的负面影响。这就要求在循环经济中生产易于回收和生物降解的材料，以尽量减少对环境的影响并提高成本竞争力。在这种情况下，生物塑料是一种可持续的替代品。然而，塑料的替代必须从生物塑料加工到产品的最终应用等其生命周期的多个方面加以考虑。在这篇综述中，讨论了使用不同添加剂、生物质来源和加工技术对生物塑料的机械性能、热性能以及生物降解性的影响。除了研究表面活性剂、增容剂、交联剂、偶联剂和扩链剂的作用外，还强调了使用生物增塑剂的重要性。对纤维素、木质素、淀粉、壳聚糖以及复合材料等作为非合成生物塑料的一部分进行了分析。在整个研究过程中，重点是使用成熟的制造工艺，如挤出、注塑、模压或吹塑，因为这些工艺能够满足大规模工业生产的质量、生产率和成本要求。还特别关注熔融沉积成型，因为这种增材制造技术如今不仅用于制作原型，而且正被纳入各种生物医学和工业应用部件的开发中。最后，讨论了生物塑料的可回收性和商业要求，并探讨了生物基塑料发展的一些未来前景和挑战，得出的结论是，技术创新、经济激励和政策变革可以与个别驱动的解决方案相结合，以减轻与传统塑料相关的负面环境影响。
