Abstract

Alternative resources to petroleum resources to produce environmentally friendly and sustainable plastics and composites are discussed. Such plant based resources are abundantly available at low prices being side stream products from bioethanol and food industries. The review begins with a short introduction to plant based polymers and their potential use for making plastics. Wheat gluten proteins and starch have shown attractive functional properties which are potentially suitable for making plastics with reduced carbon foot print. The structure and function of wheat gluten and potato starch and their use in different polymer blends to produce composites with improved functional properties are also discussed. The use of natural fibers and their advantage over synthetic fibers for making composites are also examined in this review.

Keywords

Biocomposites; Natural polymers; Wheat gluten; Potato starch; Hemp fibers

Published in

Introductory paper at the Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science
2015, number: 2015:3, pages: 4-30
Publisher: Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Authors' information