Rapid global population growth has led to an exponential increase in the use of disposable materials with a short life span that accumulate in landfills. The use of non-biodegradable materials causes severe damage to the environment worldwide. Polymers derived from agricultural residues, wood, or other fiber crops are fully biodegradable, creating the potential to be part of a sustainable circular economy. Ideally, natural fibers, such as the extremely strong fibers from hemp, can be combined with matrix materials such as the core or hurd from hemp or kenaf to produce a completely renewable biomaterial. However, these materials cannot always meet all of the performance attributes required, necessitating the creation of blends of petroleum-based and renewable material-based composites. This article reviews composites made from natural and biodegradable polymers, as well as the challenges encountered in their production and use.
The present study investigated the effects of exposure of bamboo–plastic composites to three aggressive fungi species on mass loss values. Polyvinyl chloride was used as the synthetic matrix of the composite. Three mixing combinations were used for bamboo–polymer composites, namely 40/60, 50/50, and 60/40. The injection-molded process was employed to produce the composites. Specimens were prepared according to modified European standard specifications (EN-113) to be exposed to white-, brown-, and soft-rot fungi each month for 4 months. The results indicated that the soft-rot fungus ( Chaetomium globosum) generally caused higher mass losses in all bamboo/plastic combination ratios. Brown- and soft-rot fungi demonstrated different mass losses on different combination ratios. However, the white-rot fungus ( Trametes versicolor) caused nearly the same mass losses on all three combination ratios. Moreover, T. versicolor was highly significant with respect to mass loss and moisture content. It can therefore be concluded that the T. versicolor has a different decay metabolism when compared to the brown- and soft-rot fungus used in this study.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.