An Introduction to Current Research Activities on Starch-Polyester淀粉酯化物的添加剂.pdfVIP

Chapter 1: An Introduction to Current Research Activities on Starch-Polyester Blends 1 Abstract North-American biodegradable plastic market in 2005 is estimated to be around 60 million lbs. Starch-based polymer blends is expected to account for 30 million lbs with significantly lower growth rates than other biodegradable polymers like polyesters. The main hurdle in the growth of starch-based products is the thermodynamic immiscibility of starch with other polymers with serious mechanical property deterioration at 25-30wt% starch. Higher amounts of starch in the blends entails adding suitable functional groups on starch and other polymers in the blend and make them more compatible. The primary challenge is to develop fast reaction chemistries that can be transformed into viable processes and integrated into existing process lines with economically viable formulations. This chapter will give an overview of current bioplastic market as well as challenges that need to be overcome to develop new technologies that would expand the scope of current market. 1.2 Significance and Applications 1.2.1 North American Biodegradable Plastic Market The biodegradable polymer market for North America is expected to grow to 60 million lbs in 2005 from 25 million lbs in 2000. (1). However the starch-based polymer consumption is expected to only increase from 20 to 30 million lbs during this time. Most of the future growth is expected to be in the area of synthetic biodegradable polyesters (1). Major volume consumption of starch (either by itself or blends with other polymers) are in the following application areas: 1 2 a) Loose-fill Pack