Renewable polyol-based biodegradable polyesters as greener plastics for industrial applications

The utilization of bio-based materials to develop sustainable products is an emerging area of research. Renewable biomass-derived monomers have gained prominence in recent times in synthesizing green plastics. Polyols are one of the essential renewable materials abundantly available from various natural/synthetic sources for the synthesis of polyesters. This review discusses renewable polyols to generate bio-based, biodegradable polyesters. The degradation of the polyesters generates the starting polyols and diacids, which are highly environmentally friendly chemicals. By carefully selecting process engineering conditions for developing specific elastomeric renewable polyol-based polyesters, chemistry modifications allow them to have innovative technology of industrial orientation. In this review, we have highlighted the synthesis of various biodegradable polyesters based on renewable polyols, their structure–property relationship, and their potential use in various industrial applications, including tissue engineering, drug delivery, additive manufacturing, surfactant as well as in the field of coatings. Additionally, we also emphasized the critical challenges involved in these fields for applications of these polyesters and their potential solutions for a more sustainable and safer future.