Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Sustainable Biodegradable Biocomposites Reinforced With Natural Fibers: A Review on Processing, Properties, and Degradation

As concern grows about plastic waste and microplastic pollution from synthetic polymers, this review examines biodegradable biocomposites reinforced with natural plant fibers as a more sustainable alternative. The authors find that these materials can match or exceed the mechanical performance of conventional plastics while actually degrading in the environment — but note a critical gap: lab biodegradation tests often do not reflect real-world conditions, creating uncertainty about how quickly these materials actually break down. Better standardized testing and lifecycle analysis are needed to confirm whether natural fiber biocomposites can genuinely replace conventional plastics at industrial scale.

2026 Journal of Applied Polymer Science
Article Tier 2

3D Printing with Biomaterials—The New Sustainable Future of Textiles?

This review examines developments in 3D printing with bio-based renewable biomaterials as sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastics in additive manufacturing. The paper surveys direct and partial printing on textiles, highlights promising results from bio-based materials, and outlines challenges and future outlooks for sustainable 3D printing in the textile industry.

2023 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanical properties of fibre/ filler based poly(Lactic Acid) (Pla) composites : A brief review

This review examines the mechanical properties of polylactic acid (PLA)-based composites reinforced with natural fibers and fillers, presenting PLA as a biodegradable alternative to conventional plastics in applications ranging from agriculture to biomedical devices. Improving the strength and durability of bio-based plastics is essential for replacing petroleum-based materials that generate persistent microplastic pollution.

2021 Acta Innovations 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing Packaging Sustainability with Natural Fiber Reinforced Biocomposites: An outlook into the future

This review examines natural fiber-reinforced biocomposites — made from agricultural waste and plant fibers — as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based packaging materials, discussing manufacturing techniques, recent advances, and remaining challenges for wider adoption across food and consumer goods packaging.

2023 E3S Web of Conferences 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable Polymer-Based Natural Fiber Composites

This review examined biodegradable polymer composites reinforced with natural fibers as alternatives to conventional plastics. Combining biodegradable matrices with plant fibers improved mechanical performance while maintaining degradability and reducing the risk of persistent microplastic contamination. These materials represent a promising direction for sustainable packaging and construction applications.

2022 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioplastics as Better Alternative to Petroplastics and Their Role in National Sustainability: A Review

This review examines bioplastics as a more environmentally sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics, discussing their advantages including lower carbon footprint and biodegradability, while noting that higher production costs currently limit their ability to compete with conventional plastics.

2017 Advances in Bioscience and Bioengineering 118 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Progress on Natural Fibers Mixed with CFRP and GFRP: Properties, Characteristics, and Failure Behaviour

This review examined the properties and performance of natural fiber composites hybridized with carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforced polymers, finding that combining natural and synthetic fibers produces lightweight, cost-effective materials with lower environmental impact than pure synthetic composites. The authors identify hybrid bio-composites as a sustainable direction for structural applications currently dominated by fossil-fuel-derived fiber materials.

2022 Polymers 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Performance Spectrum of Home-Compostable Biopolymer Fibers Compared to a Petrochemical Alternative

Researchers compared home-compostable biopolymer fibers to conventional petrochemical alternatives, evaluating their mechanical performance and degradability to assess whether biobased materials can serve as viable substitutes that reduce microplastic pollution.

2023 Polymers 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Properties and Applications of Composites Reinforced with Natural Fibers – a Brief Review

This review examines the properties and applications of natural lignocellulosic fiber-reinforced composites as eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic fiber composites. Natural fiber composites are biodegradable alternatives to glass and carbon fiber plastics, which can generate microplastic debris when they break down.

2023 Journal of Engineering Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Review of the Green Composite: Importance of Biopolymers, Uses and Challenges

This review examines the growing role of biopolymers and green composites as environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics. The authors discuss how natural polymer structures can be engineered into composite materials that perform well while reducing long-term environmental harm. The study highlights both the promise and remaining challenges of scaling biopolymer use to replace traditional plastics that persist in the environment.

2023 Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences 8 citations
Review Tier 2

Greening Fused Deposition Modeling: A Critical Review of Plant Fiber-Reinforced PLA-Based 3D-Printed Biocomposites

This review covers advances in 3D printing with plant fiber-reinforced PLA (a biodegradable plastic), examining how natural cellulose fibers can strengthen printed materials while reducing reliance on petroleum-based plastics. While not directly about microplastic health effects, the development of biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastics is relevant to reducing the microplastic pollution that enters the environment and human body.

2025 Fibers 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical-Physical Characterization of Bio-Based Biodegradable Plastics in View of Identifying Suitable Recycling/Recovery Strategies and Numerical Modeling of PLA Pyrolysis

Researchers characterized several bio-based and biodegradable polymer alternatives to conventional plastics using chemical-physical methods, assessing their suitability for industrial composting and identifying challenges in managing these bioplastics in the existing waste stream.

2023 Waste and Biomass Valorization 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-Based Materials for Packaging

This review evaluates bio-based materials as sustainable alternatives for plastic packaging, examining the environmental performance, mechanical properties, and commercial viability of biopolymers in addressing the global plastic pollution crisis.

2022 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-based plastics – a sustainable solution to plastic pollution

This review outlines the production, properties, and sustainability potential of bio-based plastics derived from renewable or recycled raw materials, arguing they can form part of a circular economy with lower carbon footprints than conventional petroleum-based plastics.

2025 Microbiology Australia 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Material Characterizations of the Polymers Reinforced with Recycled Flexible Plastic Blends as Filament for 3D Printing

Researchers characterized polymer blends made from recycled flexible plastics mixed with high-density polyethylene and polypropylene for use as 3D printing filaments. The study found that incorporating recycled plastic into filament materials is technically feasible, offering a potential pathway to reduce plastic waste by converting single-use plastics into useful manufacturing materials.

2024 Journal of Advanced Research in Applied Sciences and Engineering Technology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-based plastics in a circular economy: A review of recovery pathways and implications for product design

Researchers reviewed how bio-based plastics — made from renewable plant sources — can be recovered and recycled at end-of-life, finding that the feasibility of eight different recovery methods depends heavily not just on plastic chemistry but on how products are designed, and offering guidance for designers to improve recyclability.

2023 Resources Conservation and Recycling 34 citations
Article Tier 2

A Review of Bioplastics and Their Adoption in the Circular Economy

This review examines the current landscape of bioplastics, including bio-based and biodegradable materials, as potential alternatives to conventional fossil-fuel-derived plastics. Researchers assessed standards, life cycle analyses, and environmental performance of various bioplastic types. The study highlights that while bioplastics offer potential benefits for reducing fossil resource dependency, challenges remain around their actual environmental performance and integration into circular economy systems.

2021 Polymers 300 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-Based Disposable Containers for Food Services

This review examines the development of biodegradable, plant-based disposable food containers as alternatives to conventional petrochemical plastics. Researchers found that natural fibers combined with bio-based adhesives offer a cost-effective and sustainable approach, though scaling up production remains a challenge. The study highlights the potential for these materials to reduce plastic pollution from the food service industry.

2024 Advances in Polymer Technology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Three-Dimensional Printing of Multifunctional Composites: Fabrication, Applications, and Biodegradability Assessment

This paper is not about microplastics; it is a materials science review of polymer composites used in 3D printing, examining additive types, biodegradation pathways, and the environmental safety of biodegradable biocomposites.

2023 Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Benefits and Drawbacks of Bioplastic as an Alternative of Conventional Plastic towards Sustainable Plastic T

This review examines bioplastics derived from renewable biomass sources (such as corn starch, vegetable oils, and food waste) as sustainable alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics, evaluating their benefits and drawbacks across environmental performance, biodegradability, and scalability. The article explores whether bioplastics represent a viable pathway toward more sustainable plastic use given growing concerns over the non-biodegradable nature and resource intensity of conventional plastics.

2024 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRIWORLD
Article Tier 2

Use of Wood in Additive Manufacturing: Review and Future Prospects

This review examines the use of wood particles and wood-based fillers in additive manufacturing processes including fused deposition modeling, summarizing the effects of wood content and particle properties on printability and mechanical performance. The authors identify wood-filled polymers as a cost-reducing and sustainability-oriented option for 3D printing but note that moisture sensitivity and variable fiber properties remain key technical challenges.

2022 Polymers 69 citations
Article Tier 2

A Review on Replacing Food Packaging Plastics with Nature-Inspired Bio-Based Materials

Researchers reviewed bio-based materials inspired by nature as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based food packaging plastics. The study highlights that while conventional plastic packaging is effective for food preservation, its environmental impact has driven research into biodegradable and compostable alternatives that could reduce plastic waste and microplastic generation.

2025 Foods 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioplastics and biodegradable plastics: A review of recent advances, feasibility and cleaner production

Researchers systematically reviewed over 280 articles on bioplastics and biodegradable plastics, finding that while polylactic acid and polyhydroxyalkanoates reduce fossil fuel dependence, their higher production costs, lower durability, and tendency to form microplastics when improperly composted remain significant barriers to replacing conventional plastics.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 59 citations
Article Tier 2

The Potential of Bio-Based Polylactic Acid (PLA) as an Alternative in Reusable Food Containers: A Review

This review evaluates polylactic acid as a potential sustainable alternative to polypropylene in reusable food containers, examining its mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties. Researchers found that while PLA has limitations including brittleness and heat sensitivity, these can be improved through blending with other biopolymers. The study compares PLA-based composites against conventional polypropylene and considers end-of-life options and commercial costs of making the switch.

2023 Sustainability 47 citations