# Sustainable Biopolymers for Environmental Applications: Advances and Future Perspectives Toward a Circular Economy

## TL;DR

This paper reviews sustainable biopolymers as eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic materials for environmental applications, highlighting recent advances and future directions.

## Contribution

The paper provides a critical review of recent innovations and challenges in biopolymer-based environmental technologies.

## Key findings

- Biopolymers offer advantages like biodegradability and functional versatility for environmental remediation.
- Advanced functionalization and integration with inorganic phases improve biopolymer performance and stability.
- Key limitations include mechanical robustness and scalability, requiring standardized evaluation protocols.

## Abstract

In recent years, sustainable biopolymers have attracted increasing attention in environmental engineering as alternatives to conventional synthetic materials due to their renewable origins, biodegradability, and functional versatility. However, their performance and technological viability are strongly influenced by structural design, modification strategies, and behavior under realistic environmental conditions. This review critically analyzes recent advances in biopolymers for environmental remediation, covering their main application formats such as hydrogels, membranes, beads, aerogels, and composites, their interaction mechanisms with contaminants, and their performance relative to conventional adsorbents. Particular emphasis is placed on emerging approaches, including advanced functionalization, integration with inorganic phases, and green synthesis technologies, which have significantly improved efficiency, selectivity, and operational stability. Despite these advances, key limitations persist, particularly regarding mechanical robustness, regenerability, reproducibility, and scalability, underscoring the need for standardized evaluation protocols in complex matrices. The role of biopolymers within circular economy frameworks is also examined, emphasizing their capacity to integrate material sustainability, resource recovery, and multifunctional environmental applications. Overall, sustainable biopolymers are positioned not only as substitutes for traditional materials but also as strategic platforms for the development of next-generation regenerative environmental technologies.