1: Plastic pollution & proposed solutions: Recycling, Biodegradable polymers. Definitions: Bio-based, Biodegradable, Compostable, Biomass, Carbon footprint, Life cycle analysis (LCA). Basic principles of sustainable chemistry: prevention, atom economy and other sustainability metrics, use of renewable resources, safety, reduction of energy requirements.
2: Monomers (and polymers) derived from biomass: Biorefinery
3: Natural polymers (cellulose, starch, lignin, gelatine, chitin, chitosan etc.): Structures, properties, advantages and disadvantages.
4: Bio-based, non-biodegradable polymers: polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET), polyurethane (PU), polyamide (PA)
5: Petroleum-based biodegradable polymers: poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(butylene succinate (PBS)
6: Sustainable polymers from biomass: a. polylactic acid (PLA) synthesis, crystallization, properties, processing, biodegradation, applications, b. polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) types, properties, synthesis, processing, applications.
7: Biocomposites, classification, natural fibers.
8: Applications of bioplastics and biocomposites: packaging, food, foams, medicine (drugs and drug delivery), personal care, textiles etc.
9: End of life options for plastics: Recycling (mechanical, chemical), composting, waste-to energy, land fill operations.
10: End of life options for plastics: Recycling (mechanical, chemical), composting, waste-to energy, land fill operations
11: Environmental assessments, LCA of sustainable plastics, biodegradation standards for polymers (industrial composting, marine composting, anaerobic digestion, active landfill, home compost, solid biodegradation), determination of bio-based carbon content.
12: Laboratory project on: synthesis of biopolymers, or 3D printing of biopolymers, or preparation of biopolymer composites or preparation of biopolymer gels or depolymerization.
- Διδάσκων: Καλλιόπη Βελώνια