Mechanically Strong, Hydrostable, and Biodegradable Starch–Cellulose Composite Materials for Tableware

Abstract

The extensive use of nondegradable plastic tableware has brought serious environmental problems. Starch-based materials are good alternatives to plastics, but poor mechanical properties and intrinsic hydrophilicity limit their utilizations. In order to address this issue, naturally abundant bagasse pulp fiber is used as the reinforcing agent to improve the mechanical properties of starch and polydimethylsiloxane coating (CSB 35 -PDMS 50 ) to improve their hydrophobicity and hydrostability. CSB 35 -PDMS 50 reaches the tensile strength of 21.2 MPa and contact angle of 121°. The enhancement of the mechanical strength can be explained by strong hydrogen bonding between starch and cellulose, as indicated by noncovalent interaction-reduced density gradient (NCI-RDG) analysis. CSB 35 -PDMS 50 retains the low water adsorption rate within 60 h, remains stable in water for 24 h without morphology change, and maintains initial hydrophobicity after continuous abrasion in sandpaper and high-pressure water spraying due to the formation of Si─O-C bonds. The water absorption capacity of CSB 35 -PDMS 50 is less than 10% when used as the cap materials for Eppendorf tube for 30 days. Furthermore, CSB 35 -PDMS 50 demonstrates good biodegradability in the soil with 74% in 100 days. The tableware prepared from ther composites demonstrates good potentials as the competitive substitute for plastics with easy production, high strength, and biodegradability.

Beeswax‐Modified Starch–Cellulose Composites with Superhydrophobic and Self‐Cleaning Capability

“…The preparation method of cellulose‐starch‐based composite materials (CSB) was used according to the previous report. [ 29 ] The preparation step of superhydrophobic starch–cellulose composite materials (CSB‐PEI‐Wax) was shown in Figure 1a. First, 1.26 wt% PEI solution was prepared (1 g PEI solution was dispersed into 49 mL of absolute ethanol); CSB (2 cm × 2 cm) was then immersed in 1.26 wt% PEI solution for 10 min) dried at room temperature and weighed.…”

Replacing Plastic with Bamboo: Eco-Friendly Disposable Tableware Based on the Separation of Bamboo Fibers and the Reconstruction of Their Network Structure

“…Globally, leading material scientists have conducted a great deal of research on disposable degradable tableware packaging materials and, consequently, have both made important progress and realized some difficulties. − For example, polylactic acid (PLA) tableware possesses high mechanical strength and low toxicity but requires specific compost strips in order to rapidly degrade. , Bagasse fiber tableware can degrade quickly but possesses undesirable mechanical properties resulting from the low length-to-diameter ratio. In yet another example, pulp-molded tableware can be widely manufactured, yet its disadvantages include the necessity to be bleached and the requirement for either a coating layer or water repellent. , These current tableware products evidently face important challenges, primarily due to the difficulty of simultaneously solving or efficiently balancing the following outcomes: (1) the convenience of the raw materials used (in terms of the abundance of their raw resources and their rapid regeneration), (2) the cleanliness of processing (to ensure low waste production), (3) product safety and stability (low levels of dissolved substances, water and oil resistance, temperature stability, and mechanical strength), and (4) contribution toward environmental protection (by featuring rapid degradation, non-toxicity, and low CO 2 emissions), as well as other contradictory or competitive markers of performance not mentioned here.…”

Green Machining of NFRP Material

“…For example, ENKEV produced a product such as Cocolok made from natural fibres/coconut and latex, or applied starch-based composite for tableware. NFRP composite materials are also used in the production of canoes, sporting goods, musical instruments and the transport industry, too [16,17].…”