scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of Two Bioplasticizers Used to Modulate the Properties of PLA Biocomposites

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 610-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Rapa ◽  
Raluca Nicoleta Darie Nita ◽  
Anamaria Irimia ◽  
Morten Sivertsvik ◽  
Jan Thomas Rosnes ◽  
...  

The present paper deals with a comparative study on the influence of two different bioplasticizers: acetyl tributylcitrate (ATBC) and LAPOL108 on the mechanical and antimicrobial properties of poly(lactic acid) PLA containing 1 wt.% chitosan. PLA based biocomposites were investigated by means of processing behavior, FT-IR spectroscopy, DSC analysis, tensile and barrier properties, migration in food simulants and antifungal activity. Based on the obtained results it can appreciated that the properties of the PLA based biocomposites could be appropriate for designing flexible or rigid food packaging depending of the bioplasticizer used.

Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanislav Kotsilkov ◽  
Evgeni Ivanov ◽  
Nikolay Vitanov

Nanoparticles of graphene and carbon nanotubes are attractive materials for the improvement of mechanical and barrier properties and for the functionality of biodegradable polymers for packaging applications. However, the increase of the manufacture and consumption increases the probability of exposure of humans and the environment to such nanomaterials; this brings up questions about the risks of nanomaterials, since they can be toxic. For a risk assessment, it is crucial to know whether airborne nanoparticles of graphene and carbon nanotubes can be released from nanocomposites into the environment at their end-life, or whether they remain embedded in the matrix. In this work, the release of graphene and carbon nanotubes from the poly(lactic) acid nanocomposite films were studied for the scenarios of: (i) biodegradation of the matrix polymer at the disposal of wastes; and (ii) combustion and fire of nanocomposite wastes. Thermogravimetric analysis in air atmosphere, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to verify the release of nanoparticles from nanocomposite films. The three factors model was applied for the quantitative and qualitative risk assessment of the release of graphene and carbon nanotubes from nanocomposite wastes for these scenarios. Safety concern is discussed in respect to the existing regulations for nanowaste stream.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 4910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Aragón-Gutierrez ◽  
Marina P. Arrieta ◽  
Mar López-González ◽  
Marta Fernández-García ◽  
Daniel López

Bionanocomposites based on poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and silica aerogel (SiA) were developed by means of melt extrusion process. PLA-SiA composite films were plasticized with 15 wt.% of acetyl (tributyl citrate) (ATBC) to facilitate the PLA processability as well as to attain flexible polymeric formulations for films for food packaging purposes. Meanwhile, SiA was added in four different proportions (0.5, 1, 3 and 5 wt.%) to evaluate the ability of SiA to improve the thermal, mechanical, and barrier performance of the bionanocomposites. The mechanical performance, thermal stability as well as the barrier properties against different gases (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and oxygen) of the bionanocomposites were evaluated. It was observed that the addition of 3 wt.% of SiA to the plasticized PLA-ATBC matrix showed simultaneously an improvement on the thermal stability as well as the mechanical and barrier performance of films. Finally, PLA-SiA film formulations were disintegrated in compost at the lab-scale level. The combination of ATBC and SiA sped up the disintegration of PLA matrix. Thus, the bionanocomposites produced here show great potential as sustainable polymeric formulations with interest in the food packaging sector.


2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 80
Author(s):  
Matheus Luz Alberti ◽  
Sílvio José De Souza ◽  
Heliberto Gonçalves ◽  
Fabio Yamashita ◽  
Marianne Ayumi Shirai

<p>The use of blends containing biodegradable polymers like starch and poly (lactic acid) (PLA) has gained considerable attention, especially for the food packaging production. Current research has also highlighted the use of chitosan because their antimicrobial activity, biodegradability and applicability in the production of active biodegradable food packaging. The objective of this work was to produce cassava starch and PLA sheets incorporated with chitosan by flat extrusion process (calendering-extrusion), and evaluate the mechanical, water vapor barrier and microstructural properties. In order to simplify the obtainment of the material reducing processing steps, all components of the blend were homogenized in one step extrusion The incorporation of chitosan in the starch/PLA sheets decreased significantly the tensile strength, Young's modulus, elongation at break and density. In addition, the scanning electron microscopy images showed the formation of non-homogeneous mixtures with the presence of pores between the blend compounds, and this fact affected the water vapor barrier properties increasing water vapor permeability, solubility and diffusion coefficients. It was possible to conclude that although the incorporation of chitosan to the starch/PLA sheets has not contributed to obtain materials with suitable properties, it was able to produce them by calendering-extrusion process in pilot scale. Studies about chitosan incorporation in starch and PLA sheets still needed.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>DOI: 10.14685/rebrapa.v6i1.208</p><p>&nbsp;</p>


Author(s):  
Stanislav Kotsilkov ◽  
Evgeni Ivanov ◽  
Nikolay Vitanov

Nanoparticles of graphene and carbon nanotubes are attractive materials for improvement of mechanical and barrier properties and functionality of biodegradable polymers for food packaging applications. However, the increase of the manufacture and consumption increases the probability of exposure of human and environment to such nanomaterials, this rising questions about the risks of nanomaterials since they can be toxic. For a risk assessment, it is crucial to know whether airborne nanoparticles of graphene and carbon nanotubes can be released from nanocomposites into the environment at their end-life, or they remain embedded in the matrix. In this work the release of graphene and carbon nanotubes from the poly(lactic) acid nanocomposite films were studied for the scenarios of: (i) biodegradation of matrix polymer at the disposal of wastes; and (ii) combustion and fire of nanocomposite wastes. Thermogravimetric analysis in air atmosphere, TEM, AFM and SEM were used to verify the release of nanoparticles from nanocomposite films. The three factors model was applied for the quantitative and qualitative risk assessment to the release of graphene and carbon nanotubes from nanocomposite wastes for these scenarios. Safety concern is discussed in respect to the existing regulations for nanowastes stream.


2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 284-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Vogel ◽  
Günter G. Hoffmann ◽  
Heinz W. Siesler

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1095 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuvra Singha ◽  
Mikael S. Hedenqvist

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is considered to be among the best biopolymer substitutes for the existing petroleum-based polymers in the field of food packaging owing to its renewability, biodegradability, non-toxicity and mechanical properties. However, PLA displays only moderate barrier properties to gases, vapors and organic compounds, which can limit its application as a packaging material. Hence, it becomes essential to understand the mass transport properties of PLA and address the transport challenges. Significant improvements in the barrier properties can be achieved by incorporating two-dimensional clay nanofillers, the planes of which create tortuosity to the diffusing molecules, thereby increasing the effective length of the diffusion path. This article reviews the literature on barrier properties of PLA/clay nanocomposites. The important PLA/clay nanocomposite preparation techniques, such as solution intercalation, melt processing and in situ polymerization, are outlined followed by an extensive account of barrier performance of nanocomposites drawn from the literature. Fundamentals of mass transport phenomena and the factors affecting mass transport are also presented. Furthermore, mathematical models that have been proposed/used to predict the permeability in polymer/clay nanocomposites are reviewed and the extent to which the models are validated in PLA/clay composites is discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yee Bond Tee ◽  
Rosnita A. Talib ◽  
Khalina Abdan ◽  
Nyuk Ling Chin ◽  
Roseliza Kadir Basha ◽  
...  

To reinforce the use of kenaf-derived cellulose as a compatible plastic filler, the cellulose (C) was thermally grafted with various concentrations (5, 8, and 11 wt.%) of hydrolysed 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS). The silane-grafted cellulose (SGC) were named as SGC5, SGC8 and SGC11. C (30 wt.%) and all of the SGC were respectively melt-compounded into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) before being hot-pressed into ∼0.3 mm sheets, which is the approximate thickness of clamshell packaging. The intermolecular interaction between SGC and PLA, which was absent with C, was confirmed via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). PLA filled with SGC5 or SGC8 showed significant improvement in thermal, tensile, physical, and barrier properties compared with the PLA/C composite. In contrast, adverse effects were observed with the PLA/SGC11 composite. 8 wt.% of APS was concluded as the critical concentration to be thermally-grafted onto the kenaf-derived cellulose as PLA/SGC8 composite showed optimum reinforcement in tensile strength (52 MPa), crystallizability (16% crystallinity), water resistance (5.3%) and dimensional stability (3.3%), and significantly shifted oxygen barrier from medium-low range to medium range (3.2 ×10−17 m3 m/m2 s Pa). Overall, the variation in the properties of these biocomposites may extend PLA's range in food packaging applications.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 654
Author(s):  
Huidong Wei

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) has a broad perspective for manufacturing green thermoplastic products by thermoforming for its biodegradable properties. The mechanical behaviour of PLA has been demonstrated by its strong dependence on temperature and strain rate at biaxial deformation. A nonlinear viscoelastic model by the previous study was employed in a thermoforming process used for food packaging. An optimisation approach was developed by achieving the optimal temperature profile of specimens by defining multiple heating zones based on numerical modelling with finite element analysis (FEA). The forming process of a PLA product was illustrated by modelling results on shape evolution and biaxial strain history. The optimal temperature profile was suggested in scalloped zones to achieve more even thickness distribution. The sensitivity of the optimal results was addressed by checking the robustness under perturbation.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 3872
Author(s):  
Klytaimnistra Katsara ◽  
George Kenanakis ◽  
Zacharias Viskadourakis ◽  
Vassilis M. Papadakis

For multiple years, food packaging migration has been a major concern in food and health sciences. Plastics, such as polyethylene, are continuously utilized in food packaging for preservation and easy handling purposes during transportation and storage. In this work, three types of cheese, Edam, Kefalotyri and Parmesan, of different hardness were studied under two complementary vibrational spectroscopy methods, ATR-FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, to determine the migration of low-density polyethylene from plastic packaging to the surface of cheese samples. The experimental duration of this study was set to 28 days due to the degradation time of the selected cheese samples, which is clearly visible after 1 month in refrigerated conditions at 4 °C. Raman and ATR-FTIR measurements were performed at a 4–3–4–3 day pattern to obtain comparative results. Initially, consistency/repeatability measurement tests were performed on Day0 for each sample of all cheese specimens to understand if there is any overlap between the characteristic Raman and ATR-FTIR peaks of the cheese with the ones from the low-density polyethylene package. We provide evidence that on Day14, peaks of low-density polyethylene appeared due to polymeric migration in all three cheese types we tested. In all cheese samples, microbial outgrowth started to develop after Day21, as observed visually and under the bright-field microscope, causing peak reverse. Food packaging migration was validated using two different approaches of vibrational spectroscopy (Raman and FT-IR), revealing that cheese needs to be consumed within a short time frame in refrigerated conditions at 4 °C.


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