Cellulose, chitosan, eggshell membrane and silk fibroin

A study in Science Bulletin explores the recent advancements in the development of processable natural biopolymers and their myriad applications.

With the ever-expanding global population and rapid economic advancement, there is an escalating demand for materials, chemicals, and energy resources worldwide. A substantial proportion of these resources is currently sourced from fossil fuels.

“Currently, approximately 8% of fossil fuels are used in polymer production, and this proportion is expected to surge to 20% by 2050. This mounting demand for polymers, coupled with escalating processing costs, poses a formidable long-term challenge in meeting global polymer requirements,” says Dr. Haijun He, one of the researchers.

“Moreover, the environmental impact of polymer usage, which is exacerbated by inefficient recycling systems and inadequate waste management infrastructure, underscores the pressing need for sustainable alternatives to synthetic polymers derived from fossil resources.”

In response to these imperatives, there has been a burgeoning interest in exploring processable natural biomass as a viable substitute, driven by growing concerns about the adverse environmental and economic consequences of dwindling fossil resources and petrochemicals.

More specifically, next-generation, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective functional materials derived from natural biopolymers have received significant attention, particularly with the exponential increase in biowaste production.

In addition to their exceptional sustainability and inherent biocompatibility, natural biopolymers possess unique hierarchical structures characterized by structural integrity, toughness, and flexibility, further enhancing their appeal for a wide range of applications.

Proteins and polysaccharides have garnered significant attention because of their abundance, availability, and versatility in various fields. The direct processing of proteins and polysaccharides into final products presents significant challenges owing to their innate ordered structural features spanning from the molecular to nanoscale and extensive hydrogen bonding networks at all levels.

“This necessitates further modifications to enhance processability, such as extraction or isolation,” Haijun He says.

The sustainable production of these natural biopolymers and their versatile applications have been a long-standing pursuit.

“Although hundreds of breakthrough studies have been conducted in this field, existing reviews on bio-material advances in environmental engineering and the biomedical field often focus exclusively on the preparation and specific application of individual natural biopolymers with less attention to processability, sustainability, and diverse applications,” Haijun He says.

“Our objective is to comprehensively identify and address major material challenges and offer practical solutions to stimulate a material revolution in the domain of functional natural polymers.”