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Foreword

In this month’s News Review, we are focusing on developments relating to sustainable polymers. In a recent Scientific report published by Nature, the authors provide a good summary of recent research targeting the production of functional, bio-based, biodegradable and sustainable polymers. A notable example is that from Trakunjae et al. who used response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate), i.e. P(3HB-co-3HHx), bacterial copolymers (a next-generation biodegradable bio-based plastic) by Cupriavidus necator. The polymer was shown to be suitability for a broad range of applications.

Additionally, Walter et al. have been successful in assessing fully bio-based curing agents i.e., amino acids like L-arginine and L-tryptophan, for epoxy resins as sustainable alternatives to environmentally harmful petroleum-based curing agents, e.g., amine-based compounds like isophorondiamine and poly(oxypropylene)diamine. They also demonstrated the enhanced thermo-mechanical characteristics through thermokinetic analysis.

Developments concerning commercial polymers include Teijin Group, a Japanese chemical, pharmaceutical and information technology company, securing ISCC PLUS certification for Tenax™ carbon fibre produced at the Heinsberg-Oberbruch plant in Germany. This follows its success in acquiring the same certification for carbon fibre and the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor fibre produced at Teijin's Mishima Plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, last June. ISCC PLUS is an international sustainability certification for industrial applications. It is part of a voluntary scheme and offers standards for fully traceable sustainable supply chains that allows companies to track and attribute renewable raw materials along the entire value chain, through transparent record-keeping. It is typically used for chemicals, plastics, packaging, textiles...