Biodegradable polymers have been the subject of
research and development since the early 1970s and
growing pressure on the world’s resources as well as
concerns about disposal of plastics led to intensified
interest and commercial activity in the 1990s [1]. Biodegradable
polymers, or biopolymers as they are sometimes
known, are now attracting interest for a wide
range of applications from special high-performance
products in medicine and surgical applications through
to commodity uses in films and packaging [2].