Toward a New Paradigm for Renewable Biopolymer Selection: A Structure–Processing–Architecture–Property–Scalability Framework (Alginate, Cellulose, Lignin, Chitosan, and Starch)
- 1Department of Industrial Biotechnology
- 2KTH Royal Institute of Technology
- 3GreenMateria Novatech
Abstract
Renewable biopolymers are increasingly explored as alternatives to fossil-derived materials, yet bio-based origin alone does not determine performance or commercial relevance. This review compares alginate, lignin, cellulose, chitosan, and starch through an integrated structure–processing–architecture–property–scalability framework. Molecular functionality — carboxylate-rich, aromatic, hydroxyl-rich, amine-rich, crystalline, branched, and charged structures — is linked to processing pathways and to the resulting coatings, fibers, crosslinked networks, porous structures, carbon materials, and composite architectures. A dedicated cross-cutting discussion then argues why the three comparison axes dominant in the existing literature, chemistry, biodegradability, and application category, each fail, on their own, to predict which material and processing combination is actually useful for a given job, and what a comparison needs to include instead. The review closes with application-specific design rules to support material and processing selection for sustainable packaging, thermal insulation, water purification and separations, CO2 capture, energy storage and electrocatalysis, biomedical scaffolds and controlled release, and construction materials.
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BibTeX
@misc{kharazmi2026toward,
title = {{Toward a New Paradigm for Renewable Biopolymer Selection: A Structure–Processing–Architecture–Property–Scalability Framework (Alginate, Cellulose, Lignin, Chitosan, and Starch)}},
author = {Parastou Kharazmi},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15009975/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009975/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Toward a New Paradigm for Renewable Biopolymer Selection: A Structure–Processing–Architecture–Property–Scalability Framework (Alginate, Cellulose, Lignin, Chitosan, and Starch)
AU - Parastou Kharazmi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15009975/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009975/v1
AB - Renewable biopolymers are increasingly explored as alternatives to fossil-derived materials, yet bio-based origin alone does not determine performance or commercial relevance. This review compares alginate, lignin, cellulose, chitosan, and starch through an integrated structure–processing–architecture–property–scalability framework. Molecular functionality — carboxylate-rich, aromatic, hydroxyl-rich, amine-rich, crystalline, branched, and charged structures — is linked to processing pathways and to the resulting coatings, fibers, crosslinked networks, porous structures, carbon materials, and composite architectures. A dedicated cross-cutting discussion then argues why the three comparison axes dominant in the existing literature, chemistry, biodegradability, and application category, each fail, on their own, to predict which material and processing combination is actually useful for a given job, and what a comparison needs to include instead. The review closes with application-specific design rules to support material and processing selection for sustainable packaging, thermal insulation, water purification and separations, CO2 capture, energy storage and electrocatalysis, biomedical scaffolds and controlled release, and construction materials.
ER -