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Like other polymers, biopolymers consist of monomeric units that are covalently bonded in chains to form larger molecules. There are three main classes of biopolymers, classified according to the monomers used and the structure of the biopolymer formed: polynucleotides, polypeptides, and polysaccharides.
The single-stranded nature of protein molecules, together with their composition of 20 or more different amino acid building blocks, allows them to fold in to a vast number of different three-dimensional shapes, while providing binding pockets through which they can specifically interact with all manner of molecules.
2007: Metabolix inc. market tests its first 100% biodegradable plastic called Mirel, made from corn sugar fermentation and genetically engineered bacteria. (Digregorio 2009) [ 100 ] 2012: A bioplastic is developed from seaweed proving to be one of the most environmentally friendly bioplastics based on research published in the journal of ...
For lack of nitrogen and phosphorus they produce a kilogram of PHA per three kilograms of sugar. The simplest and most commonly occurring form of PHA is the fermentative production of poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate [poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), P(3HB)], which consists of 1000 to 30000 hydroxy fatty acid monomers.
Most of these plastics will remain in landfills for years to come or litter the environment posing significant health risks to animals; however, the average person's lifestyle would be impractical without them (see Applications). One solution to this conundrum lies in biodegradable polymers.
The physical properties [31] of polymer strongly depend on the length (or equivalently, the molecular weight) of the polymer chain. [32] One important example of the physical consequences of the molecular weight is the scaling of the viscosity (resistance to flow) in the melt. [33]
Depicted above is the monomeric ELP unit. X represents an arbitrary amino acid. Polymers are formed from this pentapeptide monomeric unite. Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are synthetic biopolymers with potential applications in the fields of cancer therapy, tissue scaffolding, metal recovery, and protein purification.
A plastic is considered a bioplastic if it was produced partly or wholly with biologically sourced polymers. A plastic is considered biodegradable if it can degrade into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass in a given time frame (dependent on different standards). Thus, the terms are not synonymous. Not all bioplastics are biodegradable. [44]