Influence of processing parameters on the molecular weight and mechanical properties of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)

Influence of Compounding Parameters on the Tensile Properties and Fibre Dispersion of Injection-Moulded Polylactic Acid and Thermomechanical Pulp Fibre Biocomposites

Thermomechanical pulp (TMP) fibres can serve as renewable, cost-efficient and lightweight reinforcement for thermoplastic polymers such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA). The reinforcing ability of TMP fibres can be reduced due to various factors, e.g., insufficient dispersion of the fibres in the matrix material, fibre shortening under processing and poor surface interaction between fibres and matrix. A two-level factorial design was created and PLA together with TMP fibres and an industrial and recyclable side stream were processed in a twin-screw microcompounder accordingly. From the obtained biocomposites, dogbone specimens were injection-moulded. These specimens were tensile tested, and the compounding parameters statistically evaluated. Additionally, the analysis included the melt flow index (MFI), a dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and three-dimensional X-ray micro tomography (X-μCT). The assessment provided insight into the microstructure that could affect the mechanical performance of the biocomposites. The temperature turned out to be the major influence factor on tensile strength and elongation, while no significant difference was quantified for the tensile modulus. A temperature of 180 °C, screw speed of 50 rpm and compounding time of 1 min turned out to be the optimal settings.

Extrusion Coating of Paper with Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)—Packaging Related Functional Properties

Taking into account the current trend for environmentally friendly solutions, paper coated with a biopolymer presents an interesting field for future packaging applications. This study covers the application of the biopolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) on a paper substrate via extrusion coating. The intention of this study is to analyse the effect of a plasticiser on the processability (melting point, film thickness) and the final properties (crystallinity, elongation at break) of PHBV. Up to 15 wt.% of the plasticisers triethyl citrate (TEC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were used as additive. The processing (including melt flow rate) as well as the structural properties (melting and crystallisation temperature, surface structure by atomic force microscopy (AFM), polarisation microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM)), mechanical properties (elongation at break, tensile strength, elastic modulus, adhesion), and barrier properties (grease) of these blends and their coating behaviour (thickness on paper), were tested at different extrusion temperatures. The melting temperature (Tm) of PHBV was reduced by the plasticisers (from 172 °C to 164 resp. 169 °C with 15 wt.% TEC resp. PEG). The minimal achieved PHBV film thickness on paper was 30 µm owing to its low melt strength. The elastic modulus decreased with both plasticisers (from 3000 N/mm2 to 1200 resp. 1600 N/mm2 with 15 wt.% TEC resp. PEG). At 15 wt.% TEC, the elongation at break increased to 2.4 length-% (pure PHBV films had 0.9 length-%). The grease barrier (staining) was low owing to cracks in the PHBV layers. The extrusion temperature correlated with the grease barrier, mechanical properties, and bond strength. The bond strength was higher for films extruded with a temperature profile for constant melt flow rate at different plasticiser concentrations. The bond strength was max. 1.2 N/15 mm. Grease staining occurs because of cracks induced by the low elongation at break and high brittleness. Extrusion coating of the used specific PHBV on paper is possible. In further studies, the minimum possible PHBV film thickness needs to be reduced to be cost-effective. The flexibility needs to be increased to avoid cracks, which cause migration and staining.

Response Surface Methodology Approach for Optimization of Extrusion Process of Production of Poly (Hydroxyl Butyrate-Co-Hydroxyvalerate) /Tapioca Starch Blends

Response surface methodology (RSM) was adopted to investigate the optimum operation conditions to develop the biodegradable pellet and to analyze the effects of extrusion processing variables, including tapioca starch content (30–50 %), xylitol content (45–75 g) and barrel temperature (140–170 °C) on characteristics of the Poly (hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)-starch composites. Maximum loading and maximum displacement of composites could be improved with a deliberate amount of xylitol as well as with rising barrel temperature. The water absorption reduced by addition of xylitol in comparison to increasing tapioca starch content. Coefficients of determination were higher than 0.85 of the response variables and significant regression models were applied to RSM optimization. Based on the response surface and superimposed plots, the compromised optimization condition obtained by numerical optimization was 39.04 % of tapioca-starch content, 56.99 g of xylitol content and 156.58 °C of barrel temperature.

Melt processability and thermomechanical properties of blends based on polyhydroxyalkanoates and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)

Polyhydroxyalkanoates were first greatly stabilized by an acid wash, and then reaction extruded to produce blends with enhanced interfacial adhesion.

Biodegradable Polyesters from Renewable Resources

Environmental concerns have led to the development of biorenewable polymers with the ambition to utilize them at an industrial scale. Poly(lactic acid) and poly(hydroxyalkanoates) are semicrystalline, biorenewable polymers that have been identified as the most promising alternatives to conventional plastics. However, both are inherently susceptible to brittleness and degradation during thermal processing; we discuss several approaches to overcome these problems to create a balance between durability and biodegradability. For example, copolymers and blends can increase ductility and the thermal-processing window. Furthermore, chain modifications (e.g., branching/crosslinking), processing techniques (fiber drawing/annealing), or additives (plasticizers/nucleating agents) can improve mechanical properties and prevent thermal degradation during processing. Finally, we examine the impacts of morphology on end-of-life degradation to complete the picture for the most common renewable polymers.

Bio-based polymeric composites comprising wood flour as filler

The increasing effort on development of bio-based polymeric materials in recent years is motivated by the basic concept of meeting the sustainability criteria for industrial development in the third millennium. Within this framework, our research group is currently involved in assessing the potentiality of some agro-industrial overproduction and byproducts in the formulation of eco-compatible bio-based polymeric materials displaying, among others, the propensity to biodegrade under controlled environment conditions. In the present work, beech wood flour (Bwf) composites were prepared from plasticized poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). The type of plasticizer [tri(ethylene glycol) bis(2-ethylhexanoate) (TEGB) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG200)] and the amount [5 and 20 wt %] were selected as independent variables in a factorial design. Thermal and mechanical properties of 90 wt % PHB composites were investigated. Incorporation of PEG200 was found to compromise thermal stability of PHB as demonstrated by the higher decrease on the onset decomposition temperature (T(d)) and the drop in its average molecular weight (M(w)). The present study underlines the fact that TEGB/PHB/beech wood flour composites can be optimized to obtain new materials for disposable items.