Towards the Sustainability of the Plastic Industry through Biopolymers: Properties and Potential Applications to the Textiles World

Abstract

This study aims to provide an overview of the latest research studies on the use of biopolymers in various textile processes, from spinning processes to dyeing and finishing treatment, proposed as a possible solution to reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry. Recently, awareness of various polluting aspects of textile production, based on petroleum derivatives, has grown significantly. Environmental issues resulting from greenhouse gas emissions, and waste accumulation in nature and landfills, have pushed research activities toward more sustainable, low-impact alternatives. Polymers derived from renewable resources and/or with biodegradable characteristics were investigated as follows: (i) as constituent materials in yarn production, in view of their superior ability to be decomposed compared with common synthetic petroleum-derived plastics, positive antibacterial activities, good breathability, and mechanical properties; (ii) in textile finishing to act as biological catalysts; (iii) to impart specific functional properties to treated textiles; (iv) in 3D printing technologies on fabric surfaces to replace traditionally more pollutive dye-based and inkjet printing; and (v) in the implants for the treatment of dye-contaminated water. Finally, current projects led by well-known companies on the development of new materials for the textile market are presented.

Steam-sterilized and degradable fused filament fabrication-printed polylactide/ polyhydroxyalkanoate surgical guides for dental implants: Are they accurate enough for static navigation?

“…The degree of biodegradability of a material depends mainly on the chemical structure of its components, rather than its the origin like corn starch[ 14 ]. Plastics can be classified into fossil-based and non-biodegradable or biodegradable plastics as well as natural-based and non-biodegradable or biodegradable plastics[ 15 ].…”

A Review on Antibacterial Biomaterials in Biomedical Applications: From Materials Perspective to Bioinks Design

“…Hence, encapsulating antibacterial agents into the biomaterial matrix has attained much consideration in the past few years [ 147 ]. Antibacterial biomaterials are comparatively capable of repelling bacterial cells, inhibiting their adhesion, or inactivating/destroying cells attached to the surface, while not sufficiently productive in destroying the pathogens due to the complicated mechanisms of bacteria [ 148 , 149 , 150 , 151 , 152 , 153 , 154 , 155 , 156 , 157 , 158 , 159 , 160 , 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 , 165 , 166 , 167 , 168 , 169 , 170 , 171 , 172 ]. Thus, developing highly effective and specifically targeted biomaterials that generate antimicrobial agents and their service in 3D printing inks is vital for TE applications.…”

The Use of Biopolymers as a Natural Matrix for Incorporation of Essential Oils of Medicinal Plants

“…For the past decade, the use of biopolymers materials instead of conventional and highly polluting materials, has increased substantially. Biopolymers can be obtained from various sources; the most used are those based on polysaccharides (sodium alginate, agar, chitosan, carrageenan, starch and cellulose), lipids (waxes and fatty acids) and proteins (gelatin, collagen and soy protein isolate) [ 1 ]. They are extensively used, owing to the properties of biobased materials, such as mechanical performance, physicochemical characteristics comparable to those of conventional materials [ 2 ], antibacterial and antioxidant properties, high biocompatibility, compostability, non-toxicity, non-immunogenicity, non-carcinogenicity, and non-inflammatory and non-allergenic character [ 3 , 4 ].…”