Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
5
Monomers and Resulting
Polymers from Biomass
James A. Bergman
1
and Michael R. Kessler
2
1
Materials Science and Engineering Department, Iowa State University, USA
2
School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, USA
5.1 Introduction
This chapter discusses biobased monomers, some of which are promising as
comonomers to increase bio-content even though they do not provide synthetic
pathways to 100% biorenewable polymers, while other systems already illus-
trate the possibility of providing 100% biorenewable materials. Optimization of
these systems so that they match the properties and costs of fossil-fuel-based
polymers is an ongoing emphasis of the research discussed here. Some biobased
polymers already display better properties than their fossil fuel counterparts,
leaving only production hurdles to be overcome in order to enter high-volume
markets.
Each section will introduce a new class of 'monomer', discussing relevant
material sources and feedstocks, necessary chemical modifications, and production
methods. This includes monomers from vegetable oils, furans, terpenes, rosin,
tannins, and α-hydroxy acids (AHAs). The first two material sources are of
growing interest as polymer synthesis techniques have matured over the past
