If you’ve been following Polyexcel for a while, you may have noticed that we often mention natural polymers. However, we never went into detail about these compounds and showed how important they were for all of humanity.
On the other hand, if you’re new to our blog, you don’t have to worry either. Today, we are going to explain everything from the beginning — after all, it is there at the beginning of everything that the history of natural polymers begins, even before the planet was what we know. Learn what natural polymers are below!
The origin of polymers
Contrary to what many people imagine, scholars believe that polymers existed on our planet before life itself. To understand this concept in a clearer way, it is important to understand what polymers are, either natural or synthetic.
The direct definition of what a polymer is is quite simple: a macromolecule formed by smaller parts, called monomers. In this way, several molecules of one or more chemical compounds come together and form the macromolecules that we call this way.
As you might expect, there are many chemical compounds, all resulting from combinations of the elements present in the periodic table. Thus, there are several possible combinations of these compounds, which leads us to even more possibilities for polymers.
However, not all the interactions that we know of between these molecules happen naturally. In fact, most of the polymers we live with today are synthetic, which has created the idea that they are our invention. However, it is quite the opposite.
Natural polymers vs. synthetic polymers
As we said earlier, polymers did not come from human experiments. That’s why the classification between synthetic and natural polymers is so important: it helps us to better understand the origins of these compounds and how they are part of the history of humanity itself.
Polymers not only occur naturally, they are everywhere. So much so that, even before the discovery of the first synthetics and semi-synthetics, we were already using natural ones for different purposes, like the most abundant natural polymer on earth: cellulose.
Robert Burford, professor emeritus at the University of New South Wales, breaks down the interaction of humans and polymers into three eras. The first era began thousands of years ago with the use of natural fibers and wood, lasting through much of the historical and prehistoric periods.
Another known natural polymer was discovered between the 16th and 17th centuries: rubber, a perfect example of a natural polymer. The use of rubber trees only became popular some time later, when European industries began to use the material and patent ways to do so.
However, during this period, an invention revolutionized the polymer industry: the first synthetic polymers appeared. However, they are still expensive to produce, so they became popular and replaced natural ones only from the second half of the 20th century onwards.
Why don’t we use natural polymers more?
There is no denying that the popularity of natural and artificial polymers these days is quite different. As much as organic compounds are still used in many places, the amount of synthetic polymers is such that their impact on our planet is one of the most discussed topics today.
So why was there this change? When synthetic polymers began to be produced, costs were still high, so new technologies were emerging to favor this novelty in the market.
In this way, with new production technologies and new materials being invented, synthetic compounds have become increasingly cheaper. On the other hand, natural polymers had to be harvested, transported and, only then, passed through the process that would transform them into the final product.
Therefore, the use of synthetic materials has grown exponentially, while natural polymers have not followed suit. However, anyone who thinks that we no longer use organic materials is wrong. There are several examples of natural polymers in our daily lives, such as:
- rubber;
- cellulose (used to make paper);
- latex;
- starch;
- chitin.
The future of natural polymers
Despite the clear and unbridled rise of synthetic materials, we are increasingly concerned about the amount of waste that results from it. Thus, the need to seek more sustainable alternatives for the polymers of our daily lives also grows.
In this way, the debate on the use of natural polymers comes to the fore. However, even if it is more sustainable, these types of polymers still come from nature, so care must be taken when extracting them. Also, production methods need to be green for us to see a satisfying change.
Therefore, scientists are exploring the use of these polymers in different ways, integrating them with biodegradable synthetic materials. By doing so, we are getting closer and closer to finding an alternative that preserves nature while not generating such a large environmental impact, even with high production.
Keep discovering with Polyexcel!
Here at Polyexcel, we want you to get to know the polymer industry and all that it can offer. Therefore, we are always publishing content like this and exploring new horizons within the market. Come meet us!
REFERENCES
Robert Burford — Polymers: a historical perspective (2019)
Dorel Feldman — Polymer History (2008)
