BİTKİSEL KAYNAKLI BİYOPOLİETİLENİN BİYOKOMPOZİT ÜRETİMİNDE VE POLİMER KARIŞIMLARINDA KULLANIMI

Abstract

Current emerging environmental issues such as global warming and environmental pollution gave rise to changes in consumer behaviours and industrial production's priorities and have led to a growing interest for the production of environmentally sustainable biocomposites, and polymer blends using renewable sources. Biopolyethylene (BioPE) is a commercial biopolymer derived from sugar cane, which is a renewable source. BioPE also known as green polyethylene, possess the same mechanical performance, versatile application properties of polyethylene from fossil origin, and can be recycled in the same chains already developed for conventional polyethylene, therefore it has a significant potential as an alternative polymer for polyethylene from fossil origin. Competitiveness of biopolyethylene against polyethylene, which is utilised widely in automobile industry, packaging of cosmetics and cleaning products, toys, is improved significantly due to plastic pollution, depletion of fossil sources, increasing oil prices and investments in biopolymer production technologies. In recent years due to increasing importance of transition to circular economy and sustainable production processes, and increasing numbers of studies related to enviromental impact assessment of biopolyethylene, led producers prefer biopolyethylene for volunteered product certification and labelling, and enable development of new application areas and products. In this study, recent developments regarding usage of biopolyethylene, which is derived from renewable sources, for environmentally friendly, non-toxic polymer blends and biocomposite production were reviewed.