ABSTRACT
Currently, the utilization of renewable resources to synthesize bio-based polymers has been increased because of depletion of fossil resources and concerns regarding environmental impacts of crude oil products. The major development of renewable polymers is driven by carbon footprint reduction and a strong desire to replace the crude oil-derived organic chemicals with renewable “green” chemicals. A comprehensive interest in utilizing renewable resources, such as lignins, proteins, polysaccharides, and vegetable oils, as raw materials for synthesizing bio-based polymers and in employing the polymers in automotive, electronic, coating, composite, and synthetic fiber industries is getting broadened now. The commercial utilization of fully renewable polymers in some applications is limited because of high costs and inferior performance compared to synthetic polymers. An alternative choice can be the partial substitution of petrochemical-based raw materials with renewable materials that can reduce costs and help to achieve the desired end use properties.
