From the Back Cover
The most comprehensive and up-to-date volume covering biopolymers and their biomedical and environmental applications.
Biopolymers: Biomedical and Environmental Applications comprehensively and uniquely covers almost all the topics related to polysaccharides, biofibers, bioplastics, biocomposites, natural rubber, proteins, gums, bacterial polymers and their applications in various fields with an emphasis on biomedicine and the environment. It shows recent advances in technology in all areas from chemical synthesis or biosynthesis to end-use applications including biopolymers for chemical and biotechnological modifications, material structures, characterization, processing, properties, and their applications.
The book is divided into four parts:
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Part 1 is devoted to natural polysaccharides. These are renewable, nontoxic and biodegradable and are on a par with and sometimes superior to synthetic materials.
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Part 2 covers bioplastics and biocomposites which will help in solving the environmental problems connected with petroleum-based plastic waste and its disposal.
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Part 3 covers different biopolymers such as gums, proteins, natural rubber and bacterial polymers and some of their applications.
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Part 4 includes applications of various biopolymers such as seed coating to protect against biotic stress, biosorbent for the organic pollutant, pharmaceutical technology, drug delivery, and gene therapy.
The volume will prove to be a very useful tool for scientists, academics, research scholars, polymer engineers and those in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, environmental, medical, packaging, and chemical engineering industries.
Susheel Kalia is Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Bahra University (Shimla Hills), India. He received his PhD from Punjab Technical University Jalandhar, India. He has 33 research papers to his credit in international journals along with 45 publications in proceedings of national & international conferences as well as several book chapters. He is a life member of the Asian Polymer Association and Indian Cryogenics Council. He has edited the book, Cellulose Fibers, Bio- and Nano- Polymer Composites (Springer 2011). He is currently working in the field of polymer composites, cellulose nanofibers, hydrogels and cryogenics.
Luc Avérous is Director of the Laboratory of Engineering Polymers for Advanced Technologies at the University of Strasbourg, France. He obtained his PhD in science and polymer engineering from the School of Mines of Paris in 1995. For the last 15 years his major research projects have dealt with multiphase systems (blends, multilayers, biocomposites and nano-biocomposites) based on agro-resources (starch, lignins, chitosan, cellulose etc.) and biopolyesters (PLA, PHA, PCL etc.). He has been particularly involved in the study of the materials-process-properties chain. He has published more than 60 journal articles, 15 book chapters, has 2 patents to his name, and has co-edited 3 books. With his expertise in starch-based materials, and more generally in biopolymers, he is regularly invited to organise symposia and conferences.
