Bioplastics from natural polymers

Petroleum based plastics are beneficial to the society; however, they are non-biodegradable and create numerous health and environmental problems. Therefore, it is important to find alternative resources for plastics production, which are more environmentally friendly and sustainable. Natural polymers from plants e.g. wheat gluten protein, potato starch, and polymers produced by bacteria are such resources. These polymers have been shown as being suitable for making environmentally friendly bioplastics due to their functional properties. Recent studies have reported the potential use of these natural polymers to produce plastics with promising mechanical and gas barrier properties. However, depending on the application the properties such as moisture susceptibility in the environment and strength of these polymers are not satisfactory and there is a need for improvement. One of the solutions is to combine the properties of two polymers in one composite material with unique characteristics. Wheat gluten an inexpensive byproduct of bioethanol industry with unique structural properties in combination with other natural polymers such potato starch and protein, as well as bacterial polymers, can be used for producing a wide range of bio-based materials and composites with interesting structural and functional properties