Sustainable Routes for Synthesis of Poly(ε-Caprolactone): Prospects in Chemical Industries

Environmental concerns associated with the hazardous and toxic petroleum resources have created an imperative need to fabricate new biodegradable materials having practically identical properties as that of the present polymeric materials at a comparable expense. The selection and utilization of agricultural products, such as biomass are regarded as an intriguing and sustainable method to lessen surplus farm wastes and further transformation to other value-added products making itself the most attractive replacement of fossil resources. Plastics are habitually stained by food and other organic matter, which makes their recycling unrealistic and inadmissible. Contrary to that, biodegradable polymers are naturally recycled by biological process, i.e., enzymatic activity of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae, and the breaking down of polymer chains occurs by chemical hydrolysis when disposed to the bioactive environment. Recently, biosynthetic pathway utilizing ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of biomass-derived ε-caprolactone has grasped recognition because of mild reaction requirements, recyclability and ease of processing. Thus, this polymerization can be considered as a sustainable and environment-friendly green chemistry approach to develop bio-derived biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone).