Symposium
Editors: Emo Chiellini and Roberto Solaro
Wiley-VCH, 2003, pp. 1-466
ISBN 3-527-30701-x
Preface
Environmentally
degradable polymeric materials and plastics based on
renewable resources as well as on crude oil feedstock
are currently attracting more and more interest of plastic
manufacturers and consumers. These materials and their
converted items have structural and functional attributes,
which nicely match the current emphasis on sustainable
industrial development.
The growth of the
demand for plastic consumer products, which is envisaged
to double/triple in the next decades, will increase
concern about the environmental impact of plastic waste.
Among
the various options which nowadays are of serious consideration
for the recovery of the energy content of post-consumer
plastic items, the biorecycling in specifically designed
infrastructures or in a controlled environment appears
to be a viable solution, as long as the discarded plastic
items have been designed for environmental
For
this purpose, the 7th World Conference on
Biodegradable Polymers & Plastics (7th
BP&P) was held in Tirrenia, Pisa (Italy), as a renamed
continuation of the former series of six International
Scientific Workshops on Biodegradable Polymers and Plastics
started in 1989. The conference was aimed at highlighting
the progress in the field and facing new issues relevant
to the design and production of polymeric materials
amenable to be converted into environmentally degradable
plastic items, which could ultimately be biodegraded
to cell biomass, cell respiration products, and harmless
debris.
The
present issue of Macromolecular Symposia comprises some
of the selected contributions presented at the 7th
BP&P, which is scheduled to continue in 2004 in
Seoul (Korea). Remaining contributions constitute the
body of the book "Biodegradable Polymers & Plastics"
published by Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press that is meant
to complement the present issue of Macromolecular Symposia.
The
Conference Editors, Emo Chiellini and Roberto Solaro,
wish to acknowledge the continuous and tireless dedication
provided by Ms. Maria G. Viola who managed to format
the manuscripts and to handle all the correspondence
with the contributors to the present issue and the editorial
office of Macromolecular Symposia.
The
sponsorship provided by the following institutions and
companies is also gratefully acknowledged: International
Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), University
of Pisa, Kedrion SpA, Novamont SpA, EPI, Environmental
Plastics Inc., Rheometric Scientific Italy, Belotti
Strumenti Srl, Mettler Toledo Italy, and Idroplast Srl.
E.
Chiellini
R. Solaro