Low Environmental Impact Polymers

In recent years the use of renewable resources as chemical feedstocks for the synthesis of polymeric materials has attracted considerable attention. The reason for such activity is due to the finite nature of traditional petrochemical derived compounds in addition to economic and environmental considerations. Thus a key goal of the coming years will be the development of sustainable raw materials for the chemical industry that will replace current fossil-based feedstocks. The challenge for researchers is to develop natural and man-made synthetics that would reduce the emission of gases. This book gives a thorough overview of the manufacture and uses of low environmental impact polymers. This book will provide information for the experienced user of polymers wanting to use biodegradable materials and also be useful to designers, specifiers, end users and waste managers. Contents

• Synthesis of Polymers from Sustainable Resource Origin Raw Materials
• Chemistry and Biology of Polymer Degradation
• Quantifying the Range of Properties in Natural Raw Material Origin Polymers and Fibres
• Natural Fibres as Fillers/Reinforcements in Thermoplastics
• Manufacturing Technologies for Biopolymers
• The Economics and Market Potential for Low Environmental Impact Polymers
• Ecodesign
• Casein Adhesives
• PHA-based Polymers: Materials for the 21st Century
• Renewable Resource-Based Polymers
• Polyhydroxyalkanoates: the Next Generation of Bioplastics
• Thermoset Phenolic Biopolymers
• Commercially Available Low Environmental Impact Polymers

About the Authors Nick Tucker has spent about half his working life in manufacturing industry, working on production improvement in technical ceramics and as a line manager in fire retardant comfort foam manufacture. He gained his PhD at the University of Bradford, working on the manufacture of advanced composites and 2K mouldings by reaction injection moulding. Since he joined Warwick Manufacturing Group, he has developed a research portfolio covering the manufacture of low environmental impact biodegradable composites from sustainable resources - biological origin fibres such as hemp, flax and jute, coupled with thermoset and thermoplastic biopolymers. Mark Johnson holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Northumbria and an MSc in Engineering Business Management from the University of Warwick. He is currently finishing his doctorate in Engineering Business Management at the University of Warwick. He has worked as a production engineer in composite fabrication, in addition to completing other projects including: kaizen implementation, time compression in service functions and optimisation of factory layouts. The areas of study of his doctorate are biodegradable composites, their fabrication, performance, biodegradability and the factors affecting their uptake and usage by industry.

The current price for this Rapra Technology Ltd. book may differ from the listed price. Please ask for an up-to-date non-binding offer under info@gupta-verlag.de