ABSTRACT
10Developing cost-effective biodegradable films and rigid or semirigid packages that match the properties of synthetic plastics have received growing interest in the last decade. Progress of bio-based polymers using renewable resources has been made as follows: (i) using natural bio-based polymers with partial modification to meet the requirements (e.g., starch); (ii) producing bio-based monomers by fermentation/ conventional chemistry followed by polymerization (e.g., polylactic acid, polybutylene succinate, and polyethylene); and (iii) producing bio-based polymers directly by bacteria (e.g., polyhydroxyalkanoates). In addition to the given examples of materials, there are many gum polysaccharides that are commercially produced today that meet the above requirements of being bio-based, natural, partially modified, or produced from bacterial fermentation, and these gum polymers are discussed individually in this chapter.
