Bio revolution of green polymers: advancing the circular bioeconomy via bio-sourced biopolymers, from extraction to diverse applications and sustainability assessment
摘要
The biodegradability, biocompatibility, and sustainability of the biopolymers have created a new wave of innovation in the biosciences field and have become today an important component in the circular economy as green biotechnology, which could have a significant impact on scientific, engineering, and industrial sectors. Recent developments in the green economy, focusing on protecting the environment, have increased the demand for biopolymers derived from renewable resources as viable alternatives to petroleum-derived polymers, emphasizing sustainability and value-adding. Adopting a suitable extraction process is the main obstacle and challenge to producing biopolymers at low-cost, economical manufacturing plants, and continues to influence industrial research. This review describes the potential scale of alternative sources of biopolymers from renewable biomass waste as an energy-efficient and low-carbon process. Biopolymers exhibit significant variability depending on their origin, pretreatment methods, and extraction techniques, each with unique benefits and challenges in production. The study categorizes these biopolymers into various forms, such as films, membranes, scaffolds, sponges, hydrogels, fibers, and encapsulations, each with distinct advantages and diverse applications across multiple industries, including textiles, medical devices, biodegradable packaging, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture, water treatment, bio composites, and biosensors. Furthermore, we evaluate the sustainability and durability of biopolymers throughout their life cycles, with particular attention to their environmental impacts at the end of life.