Applications of Biodegradable and Bio-Based Polymers for Human Health and a Cleaner Environment

Book excerpt: The world faces significant challenges as the population and consumption continue to grow while nonrenewable fossil fuels and other raw materials are depleted at ever-increasing rates. This informative volume provides a technical approach to address these issues using green design and analysis. It takes an interdisciplinary look at concepts that can be applied across engineering disciplines in the development of products, processes, and systems to minimize environmental impacts across all life cycle phases. Topics include polymers for pollutant removal, wood-based biopolymers, bio-based polymers for drug formulations, biomaterial-based medical implants, biodegradabilty of biopolymer materials, bio-based polymers for food packaging applications, biodegradable polymers for tissue engineering applications, and more.