No abstract

Wood fibers are easily available as a waste material, and their incorporation into polymeric matrices results in a reduction of the cost of composite products. On the other hand, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyvalerate) is a biodegradable bacterial polyester and it is a potential candidate to replace conventional polymers in composites. The aim of this work was to evaluate the percentage of wood fiber to be incorporated in the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyvalerate) matrix and to investigate the effect of Struktol® as a processing aid on the final properties of biocomposites. Therefore, biocomposites of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyvalerate) were processed with addition of 0–40 wt% of wood powder with and without Struktol®. Mechanical properties, morphology, water absorption, and thermal stability were determined. The presence of Struktol® improved 104% the tensile modulus of the biocomposites when compared to the neat poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyvalerate), reduced the water absorption for biocomposites up to 20 wt% of wood powder, and reduced the thermal stability. The biocomposites with 10 wt% of wood powder are the one with the best properties in relation to the others, independently of the presence of Struktol®.

RESUMOOs polímeros petroquímicos levam centenas anos para sofrerem decomposição, acarretando em acúmulo de resíduos nos lixões e aterros sanitários. Este impacto ambiental pode ser minimizado por meio do uso de polímeros biodegradáveis. Neste contexto, este trabalho buscou uma opção "ecologicamente amigável" para a substituição de polímeros sintéticos convencionais, por meio do estudo dos biocompósitos de poli(L -áci-do láctico) (PLLA) com a incorporação de resíduos de madeira (RM) e de aditivos, visando desenvolver novos compósitos. Assim, foram processados três diferentes tipos de amostras por extrusão, seguida de injeção, os biocompósitos de PLLA com adição de RM (PLLA/RM), com adição de um agente de acoplamento, o difenil-isocianato (MDI) denominadas de PLLA/RM/MDI e com adição ainda de um agente lubrificante, o Struktol® (s), denominadas de PLLA/RM/MDI/s, contendo de 0 a 40 % (m/m) de RM. As amostras foram caracterizadas por ensaio de resistência à tração, calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC), análise termogravimétrica (TGA), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), absorção de água, densidade, teor de vazios e espectroscopia no infravermelho com transformada de Fourier (FTIR). As amostras PLLA/RM/MDI/s foram também avaliadas quanto à biodegradação em solo. Os resultados revelaram que as amostras com MDI apresentaram melhores propriedades mecânicas, menor taxa de absorção de água, sem perda da estabilidade térmica, sugerindo que o MDI tenha promovido melhoria da adesão interfacial. Observou-se início do processo de biodegradação das amostras após 5 meses em solo, evidenciado por alterações visuais, bem como nas análises de TGA e DSC, sendo que o aumento do teor de RM acelerou o processo. Palavras-chave: biocompósitos, PLLA, resíduos de madeira, MDI, Struktol® ABSTRACTThe petrochemical polymers take hundreds of years to decompose, resulting in accumulation of waste in dumps and landfills. The environmental impact can be minimized with the use of biodegradable polymers. In this context, this study sought an option "environmentally friendly" to replace conventional synthetic polymers through the study of biocomposites from poly(L -lactic acid) (PLLA) with the incorporation of wood waste (WW) and additives in order to develop new products. Thus, we processed three different types of samples by extrusion followed by injection of PLLA biocomposites with the addition of WW: (PLLA/WW) with addition of a coupling agent, the diphenyl isocyanate (MDI) called PLLA/WW/MDI and even with the addition of a lubricating agent, the Struktol® (s), called PLLA/WW/MDI/s containing from 0 to 40 %wt of WW. The samples were characterized by tensile strength test, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water absorption, density, void content and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The samples PLLA/WW/MDI/s were also evaluated by biodegradation in soil. The results revealed that samples with MDI showed better mechanical properties,