Structural, thermal and morphological studies of bio-based straws under aerobic degradation process

Abstract

The environmental problems caused by the persistence and improper disposal of single use plastics, have led the worldwide authorities to migrate into a sustainable production of bio-based materials, whose components need to be studied for proving their nature and to confirm their degradability. For this reason, the identification and monitoring degradation of five single use straws were assessed through FT-IR, TGA/DTA and SEM techniques which demonstrate that the straws tagged as biodegradable contain polymers of fossil origin in their formulation. Degradation of them was found to be influenced by polar groups, such as ester and glycosidic bonds of the biodegradable phase. The thermal stability decreased and the morphological characteristics as cracks and holes were detected after biodegradation.