Glossary

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Biopolymers

Polymers that occur in nature (macromolecules)

Biopolymers are the basic building blocks of living organisms. Examples of biopolymers are proteins, which are made up of amino acids, the nucleic acids DNA and RNA, which are made up of nucleotides, and polysaccharides such as starch and cellulose.

Biopolymers can be used to produce bioplastics. For this they are usually modified chemically using technical procedures. The basic materials usually used for bioplastics are currently starch and cellulose. Plants like maize and potatoes are increasingly being grown as renewable raw materials to supply these basic materials.