Biocidal Activity of Biodegradable Polymers Publisher



Gholipourmalekabadi M^{1, 2} ; Chundawat NS³ ; Pande NS⁴ Show Affiliations
Source: Biocidal Polymers Published:2019

Abstract

Biopolymers are produced from natural materials such as starch, sugar, cellulose and so on. Unlike synthetic biopolymers, natural biopolymers are biodegradable, antibacterial in some cases, safe for both environmental and health pointof- view, easily synthesised and disposed with no by-product toxicity. Biopolymers canbe degraded by naturally occurring enzymes in microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi and algae. The biodegradation rate in these biopolymers varied in few weeks to several months, depending on their molecular structure. Biocidal activity of natural biodegradable biopolymers has been widely studied and reported in the literatures. The hydrophilic backbone chains, amorphous nature, small size and high porosity of the biodegradable biopolymers endow broad-spectrum biocidal property to these biopolymers. In this chapter, molecular structure of various biodegradable biopolymers, as well as their potential biocidal activity is discussed. © 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.