Effect of Cellulosic Waste Derived Filler on the Biodegradation and Thermal Properties of HDPE and PLA Composites

Abstract

Composites with high density polyethylene (HDPE) and poly(lactic) acid (PLA) matrix have been tested to analyze the effect of natural fillers (wood flour, recycled wastepaper and a mix of both fillers) and temperature on polymer degradation. Composting tests have been performed in both mesophilic (35 °C) and thermophilic (58 °C) conditions. Degradation development has been evaluated through mass variation, thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. HDPE, as expected, did not display any relevant variation, confirming its stability under our composting conditions. PLA is sensibly influenced by temperature and humidity, with higher reduction of Mw when composting is performed at 58 °C. Natural fillers seem to influence degradation process of composites, already at 35 °C. In fact, degradation of fillers at 35 °C allows a mass reduction during composting of composites, while neat PLA do not display any variation.

Effects of different interfacial modifiers on the properties of digital printing waste paper fiber/nanocrystalline cellulose/poly(lactic acid) composites

“…DSC was performed on a DSC 200F3 thermal analysis instrument (NETZSCH, Germany) with two cycles (with a 5-min interval between them) at 200 C to eliminate trace of thermal history. [19] The first cycle was carried out from 20 C to 200 C under a nitrogen flow of 60 ml/min followed by cooling from 200 C to 20 C. Then, a second heating was performed from 20 C to 200 C. All heating scans were performed at a rate of 10 C/min. The composite crystallinity (χ) was calculated using following Equation (1) [20] :…”

“…DSC was performed on a DSC 200F3 thermal analysis instrument (NETZSCH, Germany) with two cycles (with a 5‐min interval between them) at 200°C to eliminate trace of thermal history. [ 19 ] The first cycle was carried out from 20°C to 200°C under a nitrogen flow of 60 ml/min followed by cooling from 200°C to 20°C. Then, a second heating was performed from 20°C to 200°C.…”

Influence of the microstructure in the biodegradability process of eco‐friendly materials based on polylactic acid and mango seed for food packaging to minimize microplastic generation

“…HDPE and PLA materials were evaluated toward the effect of natural fillers (wood flour, recycled paper) on materials degradation. Raw materials loads influence the degradation process of the composites, allowing weight reduction during composting when pure PLA does not show variation 13 …”

“…Raw materials loads influence the degradation process of the composites, allowing weight reduction during composting when pure PLA does not show variation. 13 This study offered a simple and effective route for producing biodegradable material that is economically feasible. Reinforced PLA/mango bionanocomposites for food packaging applications have been developed since 2015 in the present research group.…”

3D‐printed wood‐polylactic acid‐thermoplastic starch composites: Performance features in relation to biodegradation treatment

“…The results showed that the addition of wood fiber enhanced the tensile and flexural modulus of the PLA composites 11 . Quitadamo et al described that wood fiber promoted the biodegradation rate of PLA by increasing the diffusion of water into wood‐PLA composites and the growth of microorganisms under composting conditions 12 . Kariz et al investigated the effect of various wood fiber loading levels from 0 to 50 wt% in 3D printed wood‐PLA composites on the properties of the composites.…”