Protein-based Plastics

Abstract

Protein-based plastics were developed and tested in the early 20th century by industrialists such as Henry Ford and George Washington Carver but never reached commercialization because of the advent of petrochemical feedstocks. Today, the demand for bio-renewable and biodegradable materials has led to the development and characterization of novel materials, many of which are now on the market, including polyesters (polylactic acid and polyglycolic acid) and starch-based plastics that have not reached product maturity. Other bioplastics, such as polyethylene derived from starch-based biomass or sugars, are not biodegradable but offer properties comparable to those of commercial petrochemical plastics. The polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles produced by Coca-Cola contain 30% bio-based materials and are predicted to be 100% bio-based in the future. Protein-based plastics offer characteristics that make them strong candidates as ecofriendly solutions for specific applications, and they are especially attractive for situations where the proteins can provide added functions when compared to other polymers.