Marine-derived biopolymers as potential bioplastics, an eco-friendly alternative

Pipuni Tennakoon; Pathum Chandika; Myunggi Yi; Won-Kyo Jung

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106404

Marine-derived biopolymers as potential bioplastics, an eco-friendly alternative

iScience. 2023 Mar 15;26(4):106404. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106404. eCollection 2023 Apr 21.

Authors

Pipuni Tennakoon^{1

2}, Pathum Chandika^{2

3}, Myunggi Yi^{1

3}, Won-Kyo Jung^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Smart Healthcare, Major of Biomedical Engineering and New-senior Healthcare Innovation Center (BK21 Plus), Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea.
² Marine Integrated Biomedical Technology Center, The National Key Research Institutes in Universities, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea.
³ Research Center for Marine Integrated Bionics Technology, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

The manufacturing and consumption of plastic products have steadily increased over the past decades due to rising global demand, resulting not only in the depletion of petroleum resources but also increased environmental pollution due to the non-biodegradable nature of conventional plastics. Moreover, despite being introduced into the market as an alternative to conventional petroleum-based plastics, biobased plastics are mainly manufactured from agricultural crop-based sources, which has negative impacts on the environment and the livelihoods of people. Marine-derived bioplastics are becoming a promising and cost-effective solution to the rising demand for plastic products. The physicochemical, biological, and degradation properties of marine-derived bioplastics have made them promising substances for many applications. However, more research is required for their large-scale implementation. Therefore, this review summarizes the raw materials of marine-derived bioplastics such as algae, animals, and microorganisms, as well as their extraction processes and properties. These insights could thus accelerate the production of marine-derived bioplastics as a novel alternative to prevailing bioplastics by taking advantage of marine biomass.

Keywords: Aquatic science; Natural resources; Oceanography.

Publication types

Review