Degradability of polylactide and its blend with poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate] in industrial composting and compost extract

Sikorska, Wanda; Musioł, Marta; Nowak, B.; Pająk, J.; Labuzek, S.; Kowalczuk, Marek; Adamus, Grażyna

doi:10.1016/j.ibiod.2015.03.021

Cited by 60 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Before placing the samples in composting conditions, we observed that neat PLA is transparent and PLA/PCL blends have a whitish colour. After 3 days of incubation PLA sample becomes opaque thus giving evidence of the hydrolysis process . For an incubation period of 14 days, samples become brittle and acquire a light yellow hue.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of miscibility on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)/ polycaprolactone blends

et al. 2016

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In this work, binary blends based on poly(lactic acid)-PLA and poly(caprolactone)-PCL were prepared by melt mixing in a twin screw co-rotating extruder in order to increase the low intrinsic elongation at break of PLA for packaging applications. Although PLA and PCL show low miscibility, presence of PCL leads to a remarkable increase in ductile properties of PLA.Different mechanical properties were evaluated in terms of PCL content up to 30 weight % PCL. Additionally to tensile and flexural properties, the Poisson's ratio was obtained by using bi-axial extensometry to evaluate transversal deformations when axial loads are applied. Very slight changes in the melt temperature (T m ) and glass transition temperature (T g ) of PLA were observed thus indicating low miscibility of the PLA-PCL system. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed some interactions between the two components of the blend since the morphology is characterized by non-spherical poly(caprolactone) drops dispersed into the PLA matrix. In addition to the improvement of mechanical ductile properties, PCL provides higher degradation rates of blends under conditions of composting for contents below 22.5% PCL.Keywords: Poly(lactic acid)-PLA; poly(caprolactone)-PCL; binary blends; FESEM; mechanical properties; disintegrability. 1.-Introduction.Nowadays, polymers find a broad number of applications in the fields of packaging, medical and automotive industries due to an excellent balance between processing and overall properties [1]. Among all these polymers, aliphatic polyesters from both renewable and/or fossil fuel resources [2] Poly(lactic acid) is one of the most used biocompostable polymers in packaging applications due to its high mechanical performance and balanced barrier properties [16,17].PLA is widely used in the manufacturing of biodegradable/biocompostable films for food applications. The main drawback related to PLA is its high intrinsic fragility that is still accentuated as degradation occurs. PLA has low ductility at room temperature because its glass transition temperature (T g ) is located at around 60 ºC; so that, below its T g , it behaves as a glass characterized by high mechanical resistance and modulus and high fragility together with low elongation at break (due to restricted polymer chain mobility below T g ). Conventional plasticizers could potentially be used to allow some elongation at break but typical plasticizers can migrate and this could be responsible for a toxicity as well as a decrease in mechanical properties [18][19][20]. Another alternative is copolymerization. By using copolymerization processes with appropriately selected monomers it is possible to tailor PLA properties to desired performance. Some examples of PLA-based copolymers are poly(lactic acid-co--caprolactone)-PLACL, poly(lactic acid-co-ethylene glycol)-PLAEG, poly(hydroxibutirate-cohydroxivalerate)-PHBV, etc [21,22]. Nevertheless these copolymers are expensive. One attracting solution is manufacturing of binary or ternary...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of miscibility on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)/ polycaprolactone blends

et al. 2016

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“…Its biodegradability in natural media makes it the ideal choice for a wide range of disposable products that can undergo disintegration by hydrolysis and enzymatic degradation in controlled conditions (moisture, temperature, bacterial growth, etc.) . Moreover, PLA is characterized by high biocompatibility and a good balance of mechanical properties, thus widening its uses in the medical sector, such as in resorbable interference screws and prostheses subjected to moderate mechanical stresses .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of maleinized linseed oil as biobased plasticizer in poly(lactic acid)‐based formulations

Ferri

Garcia‐Garcia

Muñoz

et al. 2017

Polymer International

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“…Moisture content is another critical factor during composting. Water serves as a solvent and a distributing factor for low molar mass compounds, but an excess of water can cause a lack of aeration leading to anaerobic conditions (Liang et al, 2003, Sikorska et al, 2015. On the other hand, the biodegradability of plastics does not depend only on properties of composting process.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on the (bio)degradation Process of Bioplastic Materials under Industrial Composting Conditions

Adamcová¹,

Elbl²,

Zloch³

et al. 2017

Acta Univ. Agric. Silvic. Mendelianae Brun.

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The objective of this study was to determine the biodegradability of bioplastic materials -sponge cloths -available on the European market. They are labeled as 100 % biodegradable but not certified as compostable. The test was carried out in real composting environment. The project duration was 12 weeks. The emphasis was put on discovering whether the sponge cloths are biodegradable or not. Based on the results, it can be concluded that sponge cloths have decomposed completely (sample C and sample D). Samples A have decomposed but exhibited slower degradation rate. Samples B exhibited the higher degradation rate. The main conclusion from this study is that biodegradation of bioplastics materials strongly depends on both, the environment where they are placed and the chemical nature of the material.

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Degradability of polylactide and its blend with poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate] in industrial composting and compost extract

Cited by 60 publications

References 63 publications

Effect of miscibility on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)/ polycaprolactone blends

Effect of miscibility on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)/ polycaprolactone blends

The effect of maleinized linseed oil as biobased plasticizer in poly(lactic acid)‐based formulations

Study on the (bio)degradation Process of Bioplastic Materials under Industrial Composting Conditions

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