Ostatnia aktualizacja: 11 Lipca Wylogowanie EU Login Wylogowanie. In many areas such as material sciences or energy, this transition to a knowledge-based bio-economy will heavily rely on the large and diverse group of biopolymers. Bio-based renewable energies mostly rely on the degradation of biopolymers, essentially starch and lignocelluloses, and the consumption of their monomeric building blocks to release the energy stored in them during their photosynthetic biosynthesis.
Renewable biomaterials, in contrast, typically rely on the production of biopolymers, either by extraction from biological sources or by biotechnological production means, sometimes combining both.
Most biopolymer-based biomaterials such as many polysaccharides, lignin, or rubber are most prominently used for their superior structural properties only. Some biopolymers, however, and in particular polysaccharides, also possess functional properties, and these can be at the basis of a broad spectrum of applications, ranging from food sciences and agriculture over cosmetics and pharmaceutics to biomedical sciences.
The potential of such functional biopolymers is evident, as they combine superior material properties with excellent biocompatibility and often highly versatile biological activities, promising advanced applications in many life-science related market fields. However, the potential of polysaccharides is still largely unfulfilled today, mostly as polysaccharides are very demanding both in terms of their chemistry and in terms of their biology. Natural polysaccharides have evolved to fulfill a plethora of functions in their natural biological context, and as each individual polysaccharide typically fulfills multiple roles, their structures represent a balanced compromise to achieve the best overall performance.
This, however, is different in biotechnological applications where the polysaccharide used typically has to fulfill a special singe purpose, so that there is room for improvement over the natural compound. Also, the roles attributed to polysaccharides in biotechnological applications may differ from their natural roles, so that modifications may be required to change their structural and functional properties.
