Bioplastics - typically plastics manufactured from bio-based polymers - stand to contribute to more sustainable commercial plastic life cycles as part of a circular economy, in which virgin polymers are made from renewable or recycled raw materials. Carbon-neutral energy is used for production and products are reused or recycled at their end of life (EOL). In this Review, we assess the advantages and challenges of bioplastics in transitioning towards a circular economy. Compared with fossil-based plastics, bio-based plastics can have a lower carbon footprint and exhibit advantageous materials properties; moreover, they can be compatible with existing recycling streams and some offer biodegradation as an EOL scenario if performed in controlled or predictable environments. However, these benefits can have trade-offs, including negative agricultural impacts, competition with food production, unclear EOL management and higher costs. Emerging chemical and biological methods can enable the 'upcycling' of increasing volumes of heterogeneous plastic and bioplastic waste into higher-quality materials. To guide converters and consumers in their purchasing choices, existing (bio)plastic identification standards and life cycle assessment guidelines need revision and homogenization. Furthermore, clear regulation and financial incentives remain essential to scale from niche polymers to large-scale bioplastic market applications with truly sustainable impact. 

/pdf/bioplastics-for-a-circular-economy-1nile511.pdf

Bioplastics for a circular economy

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is one of the most abundantly produced synthetic polymers and is accumulating in the environment at a staggering rate as discarded packaging and textiles. The properties that make PET so useful also endow it with an alarming resistance to biodegradation, likely lasting centuries in the environment. Our collective reliance on PET and other plastics means that this buildup will continue unless solutions are found. Recently, a newly discovered bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6, was shown to exhibit the rare ability to grow on PET as a major carbon and energy source. Central to its PET biodegradation capability is a secreted PETase (PET-digesting enzyme). Here, we present a 0.92 A resolution X-ray crystal structure of PETase, which reveals features common to both cutinases and lipases. PETase retains the ancestral α/β-hydrolase fold but exhibits a more open active-site cleft than homologous cutinases. By narrowing the binding cleft via mutation of two active-site residues to conserved amino acids in cutinases, we surprisingly observe improved PET degradation, suggesting that PETase is not fully optimized for crystalline PET degradation, despite presumably evolving in a PET-rich environment. Additionally, we show that PETase degrades another semiaromatic polyester, polyethylene-2,5-furandicarboxylate (PEF), which is an emerging, bioderived PET replacement with improved barrier properties. In contrast, PETase does not degrade aliphatic polyesters, suggesting that it is generally an aromatic polyesterase. These findings suggest that additional protein engineering to increase PETase performance is realistic and highlight the need for further developments of structure/activity relationships for biodegradation of synthetic polyesters.

/pdf/characterization-and-engineering-of-a-plastic-degrading-2rf8vuokpw.pdf

Characterization and engineering of a plastic-degrading aromatic polyesterase

The replacement of current petroleum-based plastics with sustainable alternatives is a crucial but formidable challenge for the modern society. Catalysis presents an enabling tool to facilitate the development of sustainable polymers. This review provides a system-level analysis of sustainable polymers and outlines key criteria with respect to the feedstocks the polymers are derived from, the manner in which the polymers are generated, and the end-of-use options. Specifically, we define sustainable polymers as a class of materials that are derived from renewable feedstocks and exhibit closed-loop life cycles. Among potential candidates, aliphatic polyesters and polycarbonates are promising materials due to their renewable resources and excellent biodegradability. The development of renewable monomers, the versatile synthetic routes to convert these monomers to polyesters and polycarbonate, and the different end-of-use options for these polymers are critically reviewed, with a focus on recent advances in c...

Catalysis as an Enabling Science for Sustainable Polymers

Oils, and Polysaccharides Alessandro Gandini,*,†,‡ Talita M. Lacerda,†,‡ Antonio J. F. Carvalho,‡ and Eliane Trovatti†,‡ †Saõ Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of Saõ Paulo, Avenida Trabalhador Saõ-carlense 400, CEP 13566-590, Saõ Carlos, Saõ Paulo, Brazil ‡Department of Materials Engineering, Saõ Carlos School of Engineering, University of Saõ Paulo, Avenida Joaõ Dagnone 1100, CEP 13563-120, Saõ Carlos, Saõ Paulo, Brazil

Progress of Polymers from Renewable Resources: Furans, Vegetable Oils, and Polysaccharides

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2015/py/c5py90124c

Biobased polyesters and other polymers from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid: a tribute to furan excellency

Furandicarboxylic Acid (FDCA), A Versatile Building Block for a Very Interesting Class of Polyesters

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Furandicarboxylic Acid (FDCA), A Versatile Building Block for a Very Interesting Class of Polyesters