| Abstract |
Man has always believed that the natural resources available were unlimited. In particular, in the last century, the extraordinary technological development and the resulting economic development have helped to spread the perception that the availability of products and materials was almost infinite. These were also the years in which the use of plastic proliferated as a "material of the possible" derived, moreover, from a raw material such as oil, available and transportable all over the planet. Today, unfortunately, the unbridled use of plastics leads to negative and out of control environmental consequences. The resulting negative scenario, however gradually accelerating, immediately "obliges" everyone to identify new paths of sustainability, also through a change in the relationship with natural resources and with the environmental heritage. The technological challenge we face, in addition to requiring more efficient transformation processes in terms of consumption, also aims to generate new materials whose mechanical features deteriorate minimally and which can therefore be reused many times. This contribution focuses on the opportunities offered by research on innovative materials. In particular, it deals with bioplastics, obtained from waste and organic waste derived from other productions: for these, research aims to obtain an ever greater reliability, both with respect to physical and mechanical properties and to biodegradability characteristics. |