1.

1 KONSEP DASAR ILMU POLIMER

MAKROMOLEKUL adalah molekul
raksasa (giant) dimana paling sedikit
seribu atom terikat bersama oleh
ikatan kovalen. Makromolekul ini
mungkin rantai linear, bercabang, atau
jaringan tiga dimensi.
Makromolekul dibagi atas dua material
yaitu
1. Material biologis (makromolekul
alam)
Contoh : karet alam, wool, selulosa,
sutera dan
asbes

What are biopolymers?

Biopolymers are polymers which
are naturally found in nature.
Like polymersbiopolymers are
chain-like molecules made up of
repeating chemical blocks and
can be very long in length.
The prefix bio means that they
are produced by living organisms
and thus are biodegradable.

Biopolymers can be classified in three

groups, depending on the nature of the
repeating unit they are made of:
(i) polysaccharrides are made of sugars,
(ii) proteins of amino acids, and
(iii) nucleic acids of nucleotides.
The following substances are example
biopolymers for each group:
1. cellulose (found in plants),
2. myoglobin (muscle tissues), and
3. DNA (genetic material of a given organism).
At Novozymes, we produce macromolecules
belonging to the two first classes, namely
polysaccharides and proteins.

Biopolymers are complex

molecules with biological activity
The applications of biopolymers are vast but here at
Novozymes we are mainly interested in the
pharmaceutical and biomedical applications of
biopolymers. Check out, for example, the many
applications of hyaluronic acid.
Did you know that intra-articular injections of
hyaluronic solutions or gels in the knee can relieve
pain in arthritic patients up to 6 months leading to a
serious improvement of their mobility?
More generally, biopolymers are ideal excipients,
building blocks, carrier and protective agents used
to improve the performances of other biologically
active molecules in a product.
They can also be modified to serve a particular
purpose which explains the multitude of potential
applications.

Biopolymers have a low

environmental footprint
Unlike synthetic polymers which feedstock
can be derived from petrochemicals or
chemical processes, biopolymers are
produced from renewable resources such as
plant and/or living organisms.
They can be degraded by natural processes,
microorganisms and enzymes down to
elemental entities that can be resorbed in
the environment. Biopolymers thus offer the
possibility to create a sustainable industry
and reduce CO2 emissions.

Novozymes, Biotechnology and

Bioinnovation
What is bioinnovation?
What are enzymes?
What are microroganisms, and what
are biopolymers?
Read how Novozymes uses industrial
biotechnology to ensure sustainable,
industrial efficiency.

Bioinnovation
Novozymes is based on
bioinnovation. This means
thatwe apply industrial
biotechnology to challenge and
complement traditional thinking
and applications in order to
identify sustainable solutions for
forward-looking companies.