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Biopolymers and their composites have been extensively investigated in recent years for multiple applications,
especially in environmental, medical, and pharmaceutical fields. Bacterial cellulose (BC) has emerged as a novel
biomaterial owing to its nontoxic, high liquid absorbing and holding capacity, drug-carrying ability, and pollutant
absorbing features. Additionally, its web-shaped three-dimensional (3D) structure and hydrogen bonding sites have
provoked a combination of various nanoparticles, polymers, and other materials with BC in the form of composites. Such
BC-based composites have been developed through in-situ, ex-situ, and solution casting methods for targeted applications,
such as air and water filters, controlled drug delivery systems, wound dressing materials, and tissue regeneration. This
review details the production and development of BC-based composites with different materials and by various methods.
It further describes various applications of BC-based composites in the environmental and pharmaceutical sectors, with
specific examples from recent literature. This review could potentially appeal wide readership in these two emerging
fields, where novel and advanced materials for different applications have been developed on a regular basis using BC as
the base material.
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