4. Biodegradable polyesters of petrochemical origin

4.1 Poly(butylene adipate terephthalate) or PBAT

PBAT is obtained by condensation reactions between butane-1,4-diol, adipic acid (or hexanedioic acid) and terephthalic acid (figure 5 ). It is an aromatic aliphatic copolyester composed of rigid segments due to terephthalic acid units and softer segments due to units derived from butane-1,4-diol and adipic acid. Organometallic compounds such as zinc, tin and titanium can be used as polycondensation catalysts. PBAT synthesis can be divided into 3 successive steps: