After looking at a range of materials that are sustainable and have a low environmental impact, I decided to focus my research on biopolymers.
Biopolymers are made from natural sources such as proteins and carbohydrates that grow in plants and do not require any crude oil derivatives which all synthetic polymers do. The cultivation of biopolymer crops is sustainable, renewable and almost carbon neutral. The process is almost self sustaining because composted biopolymers can be used as nutrients for the next biopolymer crop. When products made from biopolymers reach the end of their life, the material can be recycled, biodegraded or composted.
The materials are still in their infancy but current applications include plastic bags, food packaging and electronic consumer product accessories such as mobile phone cases.
The materials are not yet advanced enough to be used in larger load bearing structures like a chair. I predict that with increasing oil prices and declining oil reserves, investment in biopolymers and other green materials will increase. This in turn will accelerate advances in the technology and its applications.
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