Physical-Chemical and Structural Stability of Poly(3HB-co-3HV)/(ligno-)cellulosic Fibre-Based Biocomposites over Successive Dishwashing Cycles

Abstract

In order to lengthen the life cycle of packaging materials, it is essential to study their potential for reuse. This has been never carried out for emerging bio-based and biodegradable materials such as PHBV/(ligno-)cellulosic fibre-based biocomposite materials. This work therefore highlights the impact of successive dishwashing cycles on the physical-chemical and structural stability of such materials. Several parameters were considered to assess this stability, such as the visual aspect and colour, the microstructure, the thermal and tensile properties, and the overall migration in food liquid simulants. The effect of fibre composition, morphology, and content was investigated by selecting three types of commercial (ligno-)cellulosic fibres and two filler contents (20 and 40 wt%). A great potential for reuse of PHBV films was highlighted by their high stability after up to at least 50 dishwashing cycles. However, the addition of (ligno-)cellulosic fillers negatively impacts the stability of PHBV-based materials, especially due to the hygroscopic behaviour of (ligno-)cellulosic fillers and the heterogenous microstructure of biocomposites, with at best up to 10 possible dishwashing cycles for ultra-pure cellulose. In conclusion, reuse including dishwashing steps can be considered for neat PHBV materials, while this should be prohibited for PHBV/(ligno-)cellulosic fibre-based biocomposite materials.

Biocomposites from poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) and lignocellulosic fillers: Processes stored in data warehouse structured by an ontology

“…Lignocellulosic particles characterized and used as fillers for the production of biocomposites were either purchased as commercial grades, i.e. cellulose [10] and wood fibres [9 , 10] or produced by dry fractionation of raw biomasses, i.e. wheat straw [4 , 5] , vine shoots [8] , olive pomace [5 , 6] , and green park and garden waste [9] .…”

“… Characterization of biocomposites. Materials were produced following two processing steps: first, a compounding step to mix lignocellulosic particles with the PHBV polymer matrix; and then, a shaping step to get either thermopressed films [4 , 5 , 7 , 10] or injection moulded samples [8 , 9] . Biocomposites were characterized in terms of thermal properties (melting and crystallization temperatures) assessed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, thermal stability (temperatures of thermal degradation) assessed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), mechanical properties (Young's modulus, strain at break and stress at break) assessed by tensile tests and water vapour permeability.…”

Advances in Bio-Based Materials for Food Packaging Applications

“…Improvements in the barrier properties by 38% and 35% for water and dioxygen permeability, respectively, were obtained. Doineau et al [4] studied the structural and physical-chemical stability of neat poly(3hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and PHBV/(ligno-)cellulosic fiber-based biocomposite materials under dishwashing conditions in order to consider a possible reuse of these types of materials as food contact materials. This work therefore highlights the impact of successive dishwashing cycles on the physical-chemical and structural stability of such materials.…”