Recent Advances in Bioplastics: Application and Biodegradation

Abstract

The success of oil-based plastics and the continued growth of production and utilisation can be attributed to their cost, durability, strength to weight ratio, and eight contributions to the ease of everyday life. However, their mainly single use, durability and recalcitrant nature have led to a substantial increase of plastics as a fraction of municipal solid waste. The need to substitute single use products that are not easy to collect has inspired a lot of research towards finding sustainable replacements for oil-based plastics. In addition, specific physicochemical, biological, and degradation properties of biodegradable polymers have made them attractive materials for biomedical applications. This review summarises the advances in drug delivery systems, specifically design of nanoparticles based on the biodegradable polymers. We also discuss the research performed in the area of biophotonics and challenges and opportunities brought by the design and application of biodegradable polymers in tissue engineering. We then discuss state-of-the-art research in the design and application of biodegradable polymers in packaging and emphasise the advances in smart packaging development. Finally, we provide an overview of the biodegradation of these polymers and composites in managed and unmanaged environments.

Keywords: biodegradable polymers; biodegradation; biophotonics; bioscaffold; drug delivery systems (DDS); medical application; packaging application.

Figure 1

Four-way diagram of origin vs. end-of-life management for different polymers. Polymers originating from fossil fuels (polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP)), or from renewable resource(s) (polybutylene succinate (PBS), polybutylene adipate (PBA), polycaprolactone (PCL)) can either be recycled or biodegraded. Biobased polyethylene terephthalate bio-PET and biobased polyethylene bio-PE are made from renewable resources and are recyclable. Polylactic acid, PLA; polyhydroxyalkanoates, PHA; biobased polybutylene succinate Bio-PBS are made from renewable resources and are biodegradable. Adapted from Emadian et al. 2017 and Narancic et al. 2018 [1,35].

Figure 2

Polyhydroxybutyrate-Arg-Gly-Asp-oligopeptide (PHB-RGD)-based nanoparticles as a drug delivery system to deliver a fluorescent drug to cancer cells in vitro. Freely adapted from Kim et al. 2009 [89].

Figure 3

Polyethylene glycol-polycaprolactone (PEGylated-PCL) micelle loaded with gold nanoparticles to induce apoptosis into NIH3T3 cancer cells in vitro, when stimulated by near infrared radiation (NIR). Freely adapted from Shagan et al. 2018 [129].

Figure 4

Poly-4-hydroxybutyrate-based hydrogel as an anelastomeric scaffold for a cyclic stretchability for the improved plating of smooth muscle cells (SMCs). These cells were implanted on a pulmonary artery of an animal model (sheep) after the growth on the scaffold in vitro. Freely adapted from Masoumi et al. 2017 [194].

Figure 5

Electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) loaded with neuronal cells and embedded into a xyloglucan hydrogel for the neuro-regeneration of mice animal model by increasing the innervation of the striatum tissue of the brain. Freely adapted from Wang et al. 2016 [219].