Radiation modification of the properties of polypropylene/carboxymethyl cellulose blends and their biodegradability

Abstract

Polypropylene (PP)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) blend films were prepared by changing content of CMC in the range of 0-20 wt%. Different analytical techniques such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), mechanical test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate some selected properties such as thermal properties, tensile strength, elongation and morphology. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed to identify the chemical structure of the prepared blend films. The blend film with composition PP/15 wt% CMC was selected due to its modified properties rather than other blends. The properties of original and irradiated PP/15 wt% CMC blend were investigated. It was found that the swelling behaviour is slightly increased with increasing CMC content and does not exceed 7%. It is observed that for PP/15 wt% CMC as irradiation dose increases the mechanical property (tensile strength) is enhanced up to 10 kGy and water resistant increases. The prepared PP/CMC with different concentration blends and the selected irradiated PP/15 wt% CMC blend with different doses 0, 5, 10 and 20 kGy were subjected to biodegradation in soil burial tests for 6 months using two different types of soils, namely, agricultural and desert soils. The properties of original PP/CMC blends and irradiated PP/15 wt% CMC blend that undergo biodegradation were investigated by mechanical test and SEM. From the study it can be concluded that there is a possibility of using PP/15 wt% CMC blend film irradiated to 10 kGy as a potential candidate for packaging purpose.

Water-Assisted Production of Polypropylene/Boehmite Composites

“…To overcome this issue a third component, carboxymethyl cellulose was introduced in order to increase the boiling point of the aqueous slurry. According to the literature [15,16] this water-soluble polymer can also improve the properties of PP. The concentration of CMC was set to the lowest at which the Leidenfrost effect was no longer experienced.…”

Polyethylene film modification using polylactic acid ‐ Starch additives and study ionizing radiation effect onto aging properties

“…Starch also, is low cost biodegradable natural abundant polysaccharide can be used to develop bioblends with synthetic polymers such as Polyethylene and has been receiving growing attention since 1970s to reduce environmental impact and searching more applications 7 . The produced bioblends has improved mechanical and thermal properties compared with those of single components 8‐10 …”

“…The effect of ionizing gamma radiation on polymers causes two main chemical processes, which are crosslinking and degradation. The crosslinking of gamma irradiation effect on polymers can be used to bring modifications to polymeric materials 9,10 . In addition, Gamma rays are more penetrating than other radiation techniques such as electron beams and gamma sources also offer the advantage of a very simple process, normally used when high penetration is required without any productivity problems and currently the most widely used in the industrial processes 11 .…”

Effects of the γ‐irradiation strength and basalt additive content on the mechanical performance and dielectric response of polypropylene films

“…In particular, the mechanical and electrical properties of polymers can be modified with the γ‐ray irradiation procedure. Recent studies have revealed that although a low‐dose radiation application improves the mechanical properties of polymers, a high‐dose radiation makes their mechanical parameters, such as their tensile strength and energy at break, worse . Additionally, Nouh et al .…”

“…Recent studies have revealed that although a low-dose radiation application improves the mechanical properties of polymers, a high-dose radiation makes their mechanical parameters, such as their tensile strength and energy at break, worse. [3][4][5] Additionally, Nouh et al 6 showed that a decrease in the conductivity of the makrofol polymer occurred because of the irradiation process. The effects of irradiation on the electrical conductivity have been described by the fact that crosslinking lessened the crystallinity and induced further lattice disorders, which could behave as energy barriers and scattering centers for the flow of electric current.…”