Sustainable Nanotechnology

4 Improving the Sustainability of Biobased Products Using Nanotechnology

Shirleen Miriam Marques and Lalit Kumar

Department of Pharmaceutics, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India

4.1 Introduction

In recent times, the growing environmental concerns and depletion of petroleum reserves have increased our dependence on biobased materials in various applications, which has led to growing concern for the conservation and sustainability of these bioresources [1]. A sustainable bioeconomy can be realized by reducing the pressure on biological resources and by availing biowaste resources [2]. The quest for development of these biobased products is on the rise due to their low cost, accessibility, sustainability, biodegradability, flexible processability, low environmental burden, and reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases [3–5]. The European bioeconomy generates a turnover estimated at around €2 trillion that employs more than 17 million people [6]. Enhanced productivity, effective recycling, capital availability, technology innovations, and market opportunities are various aspects that are required for a bioeconomy to thrive [5]. The usefulness of biobased products in producing sustainable materials has expanded to various fields such as environmental, biomedical, automotive, construction, food packaging, drug delivery systems, and waste management [4].

Nanotechnology has emerged as the emblem of innovation ...