Biopolymers and biodegradable plastics are a hot issue across the Plastics industry, and for many of the industry sectors that use plastic, from packaging to medical devices and from the construction industry to the automotive sector. This book brings together a number of key biopolymer and biodegradable plastics topics in one place for a broad audience of engineers and scientists, especially those designing with biopolymers and biodegradable plastics, or evaluating the options for switching from traditional plastics to biopolymers. Topics covered include preparation, fabrication, applications and recycling (including biodegradability and compostability). Applications in key areas such as films, coatings, controlled release and tissue engineering are discussed. Dr. Ebnesajjad provides readers with an in-depth reference for the plastics industry - material suppliers and processers, biopolymer producers, biopolymer processors and fabricators - and for industry sectors utilizing biopolymers - automotive, packaging, construction, wind turbine manufacturers, film manufacturers, adhesive and coating industries, medical device manufacturers, biomedical engineers, and the recycling industry.

Chapter 1: Overview of Plant Polymers - Resources, Demands, and Sustainability by: Xiuzhi S. Sun