Properties of Biodegradable Polymers and Degradation for Sustainable Development

In recent years, there has been a marked increasein interest in biodegradable materials for use in packaging,agriculture, medicine, and other areas. In particular,biodegradable polymer materials (known as biocomposites)are of interest. As a result, many researchers are investing timeinto modifying traditional materials to make them more userfriendly,and into designing novel polymer composites out ofnaturally occurring materials. A number of biologicalmaterials may be incorporated into biodegradable polymermaterials, with the most common being starch and fiberextracted from various types of plants. The belief is thatbiodegradable polymer materials will reduce the need forsynthetic polymer production (thus reducing pollution) at alow cost, thereby producing a positive effect bothenvironmentally and economically. This paper is intended toprovide a brief outline of work that is under way in the area ofbiodegradable polymer research and development, thescientific theory behind these materials, areas in which thisresearch is being applied.