Biopolymers from Wastes to High-Value Products in Biomedicine

Abstract

Biopolymers comprise a large variety of molecules with diverse chemical structures involving from polysaccharides to proteins, bioplastics, polyamides, polyesters, among others. Also, biopolymers are very abundant in nature and one major wastes of industrial and agricultural activities contributing to the environmental pollution. On the other side, the recent advances in micro- and nano-technologies in the biomedical field open a new window for their use in drug delivery, tissue engineering and many health-associated technologies. The production and physicochemical properties of the main biopolymers used in biomedical applications reported in the literature are reviewed in this chapter.