A review on research and development of green composites from plant protein-based polymers

Abstract

Depletion of petroleum resources, together with increasing environmental concerns, calls for new solutions for many of our needs such as fuels, heating, materials, technical oils, and so on. Because of the ubiquitous use of petroleum-based products in their persistence in the environment and their fossil-fuel derived, alternatives to these traditional plastics are being explored. Totally, “green” biomaterials are of extra interest. Thus, strong composites containing both “green fibers” from plants and “green/biopolymers” from plants would be an ideal solution and they represent an emerging area in polymer science. Introduction and production of these composites into the material market would be important for environmental sustainability as their use can decrease the volume of petroleum-derived plastic waste dumps. This article reviews the current research efforts, techniques of production, trends, challenges, and prospects in the field of green composites from protein-based polymers. Green composites are comparatively cheap and abundant, but further research and development is needed for a broader utilization. POLYM. COMPOS., 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers