Cellulose and its derivatives as bio-based additives for sustainable thermoplastic applications

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95486-0.00062-4

Developing industrialization and increasing urbanization ramped up the production and utilization of petroleum-based plastics. Due to their benefits such as ease of processing, lightweight and energy efficiency, reusability, recyclability, and wide range of application areas, they are highly preferred by industries like automotive, medicine, house appliances, packaging, etc. However, their poor degradability along with the reduction of petroleum resources drive attention to environmental concerns such as increasing greenhouse gas emissions, carbon footprint, and increasing global warming. To reduce the negative ecological effect of petroleum-based plastics and protect environmental health, the use of environmentally friendly resources, biobased and biodegradable additives are encouraged. Having low environmental impact owing to its biodegradability, abundant availability, sustainability, renewability, eco-friendliness, and lightweight, cellulose is considered as a promising biobased additive. Hereupon, this chapter intends to discuss cellulose and its derivatives to be used as bio-based additives in thermoplastic applications aiming to reduce petroleum-based content without any significant sacrifice from material properties and even improving biodegradability and application specific properties. For that purpose, cellulose, and its derivatives such as cellulose esters, cellulose ethers, nanocellulose and their various functionalization methods are treated. Also, the application areas of cellulose derivatives + thermoplastic composites are discussed in the concept of biobased green composites along with the application specific properties such as improved mechanical properties, biodegradability, flame retardancy, biocompatibility etc. that cellulose derivatives may bring when they are used as additives in thermoplastic materials.