ABSTRACT
With the advancing technology, the area of usage of synthetic polymer materials has expanded. While it takes 3 months for a paper tissue, 6 months for an apple garbage, and 10 years for a coke bottle to be destroyed, a synthetic polymer material may last up to 1000 years. Left in the environment as waste after their usage, these materials cause water, air, and soil pollution since they remain there for long. Now, they threaten our health as a result of the release of toxic gases due to degradation caused by ultraviolet (UV) lights, and also the discharge of toxic materials into the waters that resulted by their disintegration by acids. In modern civilizations, synthetic polymer materials give way to the natural or modied natural polymers day by day. Natural polymers that are and obtained from biorenewable resources and that are biodegradable are known as environmentally friendly polymers, since, with the attack of microorganisms, they transform into two harmless products, that is, CO2 and H2O, when left to the environment. On the other hand, it is proven inevitable for the modied natural polymers to be produced by means of reaction with synthetic polymers, since the materials derived from pure natural polymers fall short of the features that they are supposed to show such as resistance to light, heat, moisture, and chemicals, and mechanical endurance. In order to modify natural polymers, the methods of blending, curing, and grafting are used [1]. Blending is an important method that is used in order
16.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 335 16.2 Cellulose and Cellulose Derivatives ..................................................................................... 337 16.3 Cellulose-Based Graft Copolymers ...................................................................................... 341
16.3.1 Various Methods for the Preparation of Cellulose-Based Graft Copolymers .......... 342 16.3.1.1 Grafting Initiated by Chemicals ................................................................ 343 16.3.1.2 Grafting Initiated with High-Energy Radiation ........................................ 347 16.3.1.3 Grafting Initiated with Photochemicals .....................................................348 16.3.1.4 Enzymatic Grafting ...................................................................................348
