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About This Technology

Biopolymers are biologically produced polymers that have unique functional properties. Much of the uniqueness stems from the fact that chemists have difficulty producing these materials cost-effectively or in sufficient quantities because they have difficulty in reproducing the complex biosynthetic machinery of living organisms. Researchers have the technology to modify plants to produce enzymes, novel proteins, biopharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, and polymers. Processors receive the harvested crop and recover the target compound from the plant matter, which can be leaves, stems, seeds, or storage organs. A major agricultural milestone will be the commercialization of transgenic plants that contain target compounds. In the future, manufacturers may produce novel biopolymers in this way, thereby avoiding the start-up costs of fermentation processes. Biopolymers have several functional uses: as stabilizers, thickeners, gellants, binders, dispersants, lubricants, adhesives, and drug-delivery agents. Most of these uses are in specialty applications.

Many biopolymers are in commercial use, and several developments promise to ensure growth for both existing and future applications. Some of these developments include concerns about plastic wastes, demands for convenient foods and foods that contain fewer calories from fat, the need for more efficient methods to extract oil reserves, and the need for improved drug-delivery systems. Biopolymers will play a role in these areas through their use in biodegradable plastics, food additives (including lipid analogues), enhanced oil-recovery chemicals, tissue engineering, and drug-delivery agents. Because biopolymers are "natural" products, they may require minimal regulatory review to receive product use approval. This fact makes biopolymers more attractive than similar synthetics, especially with rising consumer demands for all-natural products. Because biopolymers are biodegradable and derive from renewable resources, they are strong candidates for many industrial applications. However, biopolymers must compete with existing petroleum-derived products, particularly in price. Bioplastics manufacturers are beginning to reduce production costs by increasing and improving on production capacity and processes. In turn, greater awareness of green issues is making consumers more willing to pay a premium for environmentally friendly goods, thereby encouraging manufacturers to use bioplastic resins. Bioplastics will become competitive with traditional petroleum-based plastics when the price of oil is high and the price of feedstocks, such as constarch, is low.

Government initiatives to move toward bio-based chemical and industrial processing will support the development of biopolymers. An emerging area in biopolymer research is the application of biopolymers in the synthesis of new materials. Biopolymers are playing a key role in nanotechnology and biomimetic materials synthesis. Biopolymers have unique physical and chemical properties that researchers are using to develop the framework from which molecular machines and manufacturing will develop. Novel architectures based on biopolymer structures, such as lipid tubules and protein lattices, may open highly specialized market opportunities for biopolymers.

The major beneficiary of biopolymers is the food-processing industry, although other industries—including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, packaging, paper, and textiles—also benefit. Biopolymers mainly fill needs in specialty applications, so producers must target their products toward several niche markets. Of course, producers are also looking for commodity-type markets for biopolymers, but these markets have yet to materialize, in part because of the availability of cheaper synthetic polymers. However, advances in plant genetics and in fermentation and purification technologies—by-products of the biotechnology industry—and an abundance of cheap natural feedstocks could eventually play a role in shifting the balance more toward the use of biopolymers and away from the use of synthetic petroleum-based polymers.