Biocomposites: Present trends and challenges for the future

Production and application of biocomposites are remarkable achievements to replace conventional nonbiodegradable petroleum-based materials. In general, biocomposites are made up of biodegradable polymers (biopolymers) and bio-based reinforcing agents. Bio-based materials could provide solutions for petroleum shortage and waste management problems. Such composites demonstrate improved properties as compared to the neat biopolymers, as explained in this chapter. This study has given a clear overview of biocomposites by describing their fundamental understanding, processing, and effect on final properties. Furthermore, to take advantage of “nano” size, bionanocomposites are described later. Specific focus has been given to wood-derived polymers (lignin, hemicelluloses, and cellulose) for production of bionanocomposites. Later on, large-scale productions of bio-macro/micro/nanocomposites at pilot/industrial scale are explained and various fundamental and technical challenges in production (both in lab and pilot scale) have been discussed.