What Is a Biopolymer?

It is a polymer that is developed from living beings. It is a biodegradable

chemical compound that is regarded as the most organic compound in the
ecosphere. The name Biopolymer indicates that it is a bio-degradable
polymer
example of Biopolymer
Some Biopolymer examples are
Proteins
Carbohydrates
DNA
RNA
Lipids
Nucleic acids
Peptides
Polysaccharides (such as glycogen, starch and cellulose)

All these biopolymers account for a greater part of the human body as well as the
ecosphere. The DNA biopolymer is the most important for humans. The entire
body structure as well as genetic behaviors that pass from parents to children is
based on it. Both DNA and RNA are composed of nucleic acids that alternate in
definite patterns to encode huge amount of genetic data.
The most common biopolymer is ellulose. !t is also the most abundant organic
compound on this planet. !t comprises of ""# of all plant component on $arth.
Biopolymer lassification
There are four main types of Biopolymers. These are
!ugar based Biopolymers
Starch or Sucrose is used as input for manufacturing %olyhydroxibutyrate. Sugar
based polymers can be produced by blowing& in'ection& vacuum forming and
extrusion. (actic acid polymers )%olyactides* are created from mil+ sugar
)lactose* that is extracted from potatoes& mai,e& wheat and sugar beet.
%olyactides are resistant to water and can be manufactured by methods li+e
vacuum forming& blowing and in'ection molding.
!tarch based Biopolymers
Starch acts as a natural polymer and can be obtained from wheat& tapioca& mai,e
and potatoes. The material is stored in tissues of plants as one way
carbohydrates. !t is composed of glucose and can be obtained by melting starch.
This polymer is not present in animal tissues. !t can be found in vegetables li+e
tapioca& corn& wheat and potatoes.
Biopolymers based on !ynthetic materials
Synthetic compounds that are obtained from petroleum can also be used for
ma+ing biodegradable polymers such as aliphatic aromatic copolyesters. Though
these polymers are manufactured from synthetic components& they are
completely compostable and bio-degradable.
ellulose based Biopolymers
These are used for pac+ing cigarettes& DS and confectionary. This polymer is
composed of glucose and is the primary constituent of plant cellular walls. !t is
obtained from natural resources li+e cotton& wood& wheat and corn.
The production of biopolymer may be done either from animal products or
agricultural plants.
Biopolymer Types
There are primarily two types of Biopolymer& one that is obtained from living
organisms and another that is produced from renewable resources but re.uire
polymeri,ation. Those created by living beings include proteins and
carbohydrates.
Biopolymer "ses
These polymers play an essential role in nature. They are extremely useful in
performing functions li+e storage of energy& preservation and transmittance of
genetic information and cellular construction.
Sugar based polymers, such as Polyactides, naturally degenerate
in the human body without producing any harmul side e!ects" #his
is the reason why they are used or medical purposes" Polyactides
are commonly used as surgical implants"
Starch based biopolymers can be used or creating con$entional
plastic by e%truding and in&ection molding"
'iopolymers based on synthetic are used to manuacture
substrate mats"
Cellulose based 'iopolymers, such as cellophane, are used as a
pac(aging material"
#hese chemical compounds can be used to ma(e thin wrapping
)lms, ood trays and pellets or sending ragile goods by shipping"
#ifference bet$een %olymer and Biopolymer
Biopolymers and Bioplastics are often confused for one another. /owever& these
are different materials. Biopolymers are polymers that can be found in or
manufactured by& living organisms. These also involve polymers that are
obtained from renewable resources that can be used to manufacture Bioplastics
by polymeri,ation.
Bioplastics are the plastics that are created by using biodegradable polymers.
The great automobile manufacturer /enry 0ord devised a way of manufacturing
bioplastic car sections from soybeans bac+ in the middle of the 12th century.
/owever& the beginning of the Second 3orld 3ar stopped production of
bioplastic cars. !t is only recently that bioplastic cars have made a comebac+ due
to development of new manufacturing techni.ues through biotechnology.
Cellulose is both the most common biopolymer and the most common
organic compound on Earth. About 33 percent of all plant matter is
cellulose (the cellulose content of cotton is 90 percent and that of
wood is 50 percent.
some biopolymers are biodegradable. That is they are bro!en down
into C"
#
and water by microorganisms. $n addition some of these
biodegradable biopolymers are compostable. That is they can be put
into an industrial composting process and will brea! down by 90%
within & months. 'iopolymers that do this can be mar!ed with a
(compostable( symbol under European )tandard E* +3,3# (#000-.
.ac!aging mar!ed with this symbol can be put into industrial
composting processes and will brea! down within & months (or less-.
An e/ample of a compostable polymer is .0A film under #0 1m thic!2
films which are thic!er than that do not 3ualify as compostable e4en
though they are biodegradable. A home composting logo may soon be
established2 this will enable consumers to dispose of pac!aging
directly onto their own compost heap.
5&6
A ma7or but defining difference between polymers and biopolymers
can be found in their structures. .olymers including biopolymers are
made of repetiti4e units called monomers. 'iopolymers often ha4e a
well defined structure though this is not a defining characteristic
(e/ample2ligno8cellulose-2 The e/act chemical composition and the
se3uence in which these units are arranged is called the primary
structure in the case of proteins. 9any biopolymers spontaneously
fold into characteristic compact shapes (see also :protein folding: as
well as secondary structure and tertiary structure- which determine
their biological functions and depend in a complicated way on their
primary structures. )tructural biology is the study of the structural
properties of the biopolymers. $n contrast most synthetic
polymers ha4e much simpler and more random (or stochastic-
structures. This fact leads to a molecular mass distribution that is
missing in biopolymers. $n fact as their synthesis is controlled by a
template directed process in most in 4i4o systems all biopolymers of a
type (say one specific protein- are all ali!e2 they all contain the
similar se3uences and numbers of monomers and thus all ha4e the
same mass. This phenomenon is calledmonodispersity in contrast to
the polydispersity encountered in synthetic polymers. As a result
biopolymers ha4e a polydispersity inde/ of +.
Biopolymers as materials&edit'
Some biopolymers- such as )%(A*& naturally occurring ,ein& and poly-"-hydroxybutyrate can
be used as plastics& replacing the need for polystyrene or polyethylene based plastics.
Some plastics are now referred to as being 4degradable4& 4oxy-degradable4 or 456-
degradable4. This means that they brea+ down when exposed to light or air& but these
plastics are still primarily )as much as 78 per cent* oil-based and are not currently certified as
4biodegradable4 under the $uropean 5nion directive on %ac+aging and %ac+aging 3aste
)79:;1:$*. Biopolymers will brea+ down& and some are suitable for domestic composting.
<7=
Biopolymers )also called renewable polymers* are produced from biomass for use in the
pac+aging industry. Biomass comes from crops such as sugar beet& potatoes or wheat> when
used to produce biopolymers& these are classified as non food crops. These can be
converted in the following pathways>
Sugar beet ? @lyconic acid ? %olyglyconic acid
Starch ? )fermentation* ? (actic acid ? %olylactic acid )%(A*
Biomass ? )fermentation* ? Bioethanol ? $thene ? %olyethylene
(ein is a class of prolamine protein found in mai,e )corn*. !t is usually manufactured as a
powder from corn gluten meal. Aein is one of the best understood plant proteins.
<B=
%ure ,ein
is clear& odorless& tasteless& hard& water-insoluble& and edible& and it has a variety of
industrial and food uses.
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