Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Overcoming Challenges in the Commercialization of Biopolymers: From Research to Applications—A Review

This review examines the barriers preventing biopolymers from reaching commercial markets despite growing research interest. Researchers explored how fiber properties and processing conditions affect biodegradability, and how biopolymers can be manufactured on existing equipment. The study highlights biopolymers as a promising alternative to conventional plastics that could help reduce microplastic accumulation in the environment.

2024 Polymers 17 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

Bioplastics and the environment: Solution or Green Illusion?

This review critically evaluates whether bioplastics are genuinely environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional plastics, finding that many bioplastics degrade incompletely under real-world conditions, form persistent microplastic fragments, and may pose ecological risks comparable to conventional plastics.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Plastics
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Bioplastics: Application and Biodegradation

This review examines recent advances in bioplastics — including their applications in packaging, agriculture, and medicine — and critically evaluates their actual biodegradation performance in both natural and industrial environments, finding a significant gap between claims and real-world outcomes.

2020 Polymers 376 citations
Article Tier 2

Consumer attitudes and concerns with bioplastics use: An international study

Researchers surveyed consumers across 42 countries about their knowledge and attitudes toward bioplastics as an alternative to conventional plastics. The study found that while most consumers were concerned about plastic pollution, awareness and understanding of bioplastics varied significantly across regions. The findings suggest that clearer labeling and better public education about bioplastic options could help drive consumer adoption of more sustainable materials.

2022 PLoS ONE 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Key challenges in the advancement and industrialization of biobased and biodegradable plastics: a value chain overarching perspective

Experts at an international symposium identified key challenges preventing biobased and biodegradable polymers from competing with conventional plastics at industrial scale. The study highlights barriers including high production costs, limited feedstock availability, performance gaps, and the lack of standardized end-of-life infrastructure. Researchers suggest that overcoming these obstacles will require coordinated efforts across the entire value chain, from raw material sourcing to waste management systems.

2024 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 16 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

Addressing Stakeholder Concerns Regarding the Effective Use of Bio-Based and Biodegradable Plastics

This study reviewed stakeholder concerns about bio-based and biodegradable plastics, finding that consumer confusion about what biodegradable means, inconsistent labeling, and lack of adequate composting infrastructure are major barriers to adoption, and that clearer standards and communication are needed to realize their environmental potential.

2021 Resources 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards a Circular Economy of Plastics: An Evaluation of the Systematic Transition to a New Generation of Bioplastics

This review evaluates the transition from petroleum-based plastics to bioplastics within a circular economy framework, assessing the sustainability, production challenges, and environmental trade-offs of current bioplastic alternatives.

2022 Polymers 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental performance of bioplastics: degradation pathways, chemical leaching, and life-cycle implications

This review of existing research found that bioplastics—supposedly eco-friendly alternatives to regular plastic—may not be as safe as promised. These "green" plastics can still break down into harmful microplastics and leak toxic chemicals, potentially affecting human health just like conventional plastics. The study shows we need better testing and disposal systems before bioplastics can truly be considered a safer choice for people and the environment.

2026 npj Materials Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Are bioplastics the solution to the plastic pollution problem?

This review examines whether bioplastics can meaningfully reduce plastic pollution, concluding that while bioplastics offer some advantages, they are not a straightforward solution because many require industrial composting conditions and their environmental benefits depend heavily on end-of-life management.

2023 PLoS Biology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-based materials for barrier coatings on paper packaging

Researchers reviewed bio-based polymer coatings for paper packaging, evaluating how naturally renewable biopolymers can replace petroleum-derived synthetic coatings to provide effective oxygen, oil, and moisture barriers while reducing environmental impact.

2022 Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery 140 citations
Article Tier 2

A Review: Investigation of Plastics Effect on the Environment, Bioplastic Global Market Share and Its Future Perspectives

This review covers the environmental and human health impacts of plastics, with a focus on microplastics and nanoplastics, and reviews global trends in bioplastic production as an alternative. It finds that while bioplastics show promise, current production scale is far too small to address the existing plastic pollution crisis.

2019 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Impact of Biopolymer-Based and Conventional Plastic Packaging in Food Engineering Applications

This review compares plant-based biodegradable packaging materials with traditional plastics like PET and HDPE used in food packaging. While bioplastics produce fewer carbon emissions and break down more easily, they still face cost and performance challenges. The study matters because conventional plastic packaging is a major source of microplastic pollution in the environment.

2025 Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Sustainability in Engineering Sciences 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Expanding Policy for Biodegradable Plastic Products and Market Dynamics of Bio-Based Plastics: Challenges and Opportunities

This review examined the policy landscape and market dynamics for biodegradable and bio-based plastics, highlighting growing regulatory interest but warning that without standardized biodegradability testing and clear labeling requirements, consumer and industrial adoption may create new environmental problems.

2021 Sustainability 135 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

Bioplastics in the circular bioeconomy: Production pathways, biodegradation mechanisms, and environmental implications

This comprehensive review examines how bioplastics — plastics made from renewable biological sources — fit into a circular economy, covering how they are produced, how microorganisms break them down, and the environmental risks when degradation is incomplete. A key concern is that even bio-based plastics can form microplastics if they do not fully degrade in real-world conditions like marine or soil environments, meaning that simply switching to bioplastics does not automatically solve the microplastic pollution problem.

2026 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable Polymers: The Future of Sustainable Plastic Alternatives

This review examines biodegradable polymers as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, evaluating their potential to reduce microplastic pollution and ecological degradation. The authors assess the performance, environmental fate, and scalability of current biodegradable materials, identifying key challenges for widespread adoption across packaging and consumer product applications.

2025 Scriptora International Journal of Research and Innovation (SIJRI)
Article Tier 2

Economia Circular E Desenvolvimento Sustentável: Compostabilidade, Biodegradação E Inovação Em Biopolímeros E Compósitos Renováveis Para Aplicações Estruturais, Agrícolas E Embalagens

This review paper summarizes research on new plant-based plastics that can break down naturally in the environment, unlike regular plastics made from oil. These eco-friendly materials could replace traditional plastic in food packaging and farming, potentially reducing the tiny plastic particles that end up in our food and water. However, the technology still needs improvements and better waste management systems before these biodegradable plastics can widely replace regular plastics.

2026 Aracê.
Article Tier 2

The Emergence of Bioplastic as a Sustainable Polymer in the Indian Food Packaging Industry: A Scientometric Analysis

Researchers conducted a scientometric analysis of research on bioplastics as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics in the Indian food packaging industry, mapping publication trends, key research themes, and the growing global policy and scientific attention toward bioplastic adoption.

2023 Journal of Data Science Informetrics and Citation Studies 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Status quo and sector readiness for (bio)plastic food and beverage packaging in the 4IR

This review examined the readiness of the food and beverage packaging sector to transition to bioplastics and biodegradable materials during the era of Industry 4.0. The paper found that while interest is growing, technical, regulatory, and cost barriers still limit widespread adoption. Addressing these challenges is necessary to reduce the massive amount of single-use plastic waste from food packaging.

2022 South African Journal of Science 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Social Perspectives towards Biobased Products and Textiles

Researchers conducted a qualitative analysis of European stakeholder surveys to compare consumer, business-to-business, and public procurer perceptions of biobased products and textiles, identifying behavioral motivations and concerns and making recommendations to accelerate market inclusion of biobased alternatives to conventional plastic-derived materials.

2023 Sustainability 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-based and Sustainable Food Packaging Technology: Relevance, Challenges and Prospects

A review assessed bio-based and sustainable food packaging technologies, evaluating their relevance as replacements for conventional plastic packaging that generates microplastic pollution. The study identifies the most promising materials and the barriers to scaling up plastic-free food packaging.

2025 Journal of Biomaterials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring biopolymer degradation: Environmental effects and future insights

This review examines how biopolymers degrade in the environment and evaluates their potential as sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics. While biopolymers offer environmental benefits like reduced pollution, the study notes challenges including slower-than-expected degradation in natural settings, potential microplastic generation, and the need for better standardized testing and supportive policies.

2026 Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials