Degradable Polymers, Second Edition: Principles and Applications

Hardbound   500 pp  ISBN 1402007906      £119.00

The emphasis in degradable polymers has changed since the first edition of this book. Biomedical and agricultural applications remain important topics of scientific and commercial interest in the second edition. However, an increased emphasis on composting as a means of recovering value from wastes has led to a new impetus to understand how plastics degrade in the environment and the implication of this for international standards. Polymers based on renewable resources are also a major topic in this edition but the debate continues about their long-term sustainability and ecological advantages over degradable man-made polymers.

Degradable Polymers will be of interest not only to academic and industrial scientists working on packaging, agricultural and medical applications of plastics but also to students of environmental science and legislators concerned with the effects of man-made materials in the environment.

Contents

1. Why Biodegradable Polymers?; G. Scott.
2. An Overview of Biodegradable Polymers and Biodegradation of Polymers; S.H. Huang.
3. Degradation and Stabilization of Carbon-Chain Polymers; G. Scott.
4. Techniques and Methods of Polymer Degradation; S. Karlsson, A.-C. Albertsson.
5. Biodegradation of Aliphatic Polyesters; Suming Li, M. Vert.
6. Starch-Polymer Composites; C. Bastioli.
7. Polymers from Renewable Sources; E. Chiellini, et al.
8. Sustainable Poly(Hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) Production; G. Braunegg.
9. Polyhydroxyalkanoates: Properties and Modification for High Volume Application; I. Chodak.
10. Biodegradable Polymers in Medicine; E Piskin.
11. Environmentally Biodegradable Water-Soluble Polymers; G. Swift.
12. Plastics and the Environment; J. Guillet.
13. Degradable Hydrocarbon Polymers in Waste and Litter Control; G. Scott, D.M. Wiles.