1. Different biopolymer families and their properties

Biopolymers of biological origin can be classified into four main families:

• polysaccharides ;

• proteins or polypeptides ;

• polyesters synthesized by bacteria ;

• polynucleotides.

According to ADEME (Agence de l'environnement et de la maîtrise de l'énergie), biopolymers are natural polymers derived from renewable plant, algae or animal resources. According to this definition, there are three main classes: polysaccharides, proteins and lignin. And, as mentioned in the introduction, biopolymers can also be obtained by polymerization of natural or nature-identical monomers. But very often (in recent years, see Biodegradable polymers, ), biopolymers are considered to be degradable. From this point...