Biodegradable Polymer Compounds Reinforced with Banana Fiber for the Production of Protective Bags for Banana Fruits in the Context of Circular Economy

Bags used to protect and accelerate the ripening of bananas are a clear example of the environmental problem of packaging waste. Small pieces of these non-biodegradable bags are frequently disposed on the soil by accident (environmental conditions and poor handling during the harvest) and remain there for years. This work focuses on the development of protective biodegradable bags reinforced with banana fiber, obtained from waste of the banana plants, thus promoting a circular economy and a more environmentally friendly process. To achieve this, different bio-based composites were tested (processability) by compounding extrusion (biopolymer and banana fiber with different process steps) and blown film extrusion. The bags produced were tested in field and sequentially improved in three generations of biofilms. The results showed that the maximum processable fiber content was 5 wt %. Additionally, the micronizing of the compounds was crucial to simplify the blown film extrusion and improve the smoothness of the bags (scratches avoidance on the banana surface). The final bags (Mater-Bi biopolymer, 5% combed and sieved banana fiber, and 2.5 wt % TiO2 for ultraviolet light filtration), performed better than the conventional ones (faster maturing, i.e., earlier harvest, and easier handling) and fulfilled the biodegradability, composting and ecotoxicity test requirements.

Flow analysis of conical spiral mandrel dies

Spiral dies are divided into three categories, namely: Flat Spiral Die (FSD), Cylindrical Spiral Mandrel Die (SMD), and Conical Spiral Mandrel Die (CSD). These dies are used to produce films via blown film extrusion and multilayer films via co-extrusion. The goal is to improve the flow distribution and to decrease the pressure drop which will result in uniform film thickness and reduced energy dissipation. A viscous power-law fluid model shows that low-pressure drop and proper flow distribution can be achieved in a CSD simultaneously. As the number of grooves and the initial channel depth increases, the flow distribution becomes more uniform and the pressure drop decreases. Also, there is an optimum initial clearance and clearance increment angle. The model results show that the pseudo-plastic fluid has more appropriate performance than the Newtonian and dilatant fluids in improving the flow distribution and reducing the pressure drop.

Plasticization Effect of Poly(Lactic Acid) in the Poly(Butylene Adipate–co–Terephthalate) Blown Film for Tear Resistance Improvement

The mechanical properties and tear resistance of an ecofriendly flexible packaging film, i.e., poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly (butylene adipate–co–terephthalate) (PBAT) film, were investigated via a blown film extrusion process. The application of PLA and PBAT in product packaging is limited due to the high brittleness, low stiffness, and incompatibility of the materials. In this study, the effects of various plasticizers, such as adipate, adipic acid, glycerol ester, and adipic acid ester, on the plasticization of PLA and fabrication of the PLA/PBAT blown film were comprehensively evaluated. It was determined that the plasticizer containing ether and ester functionalities (i.e., adipic acid ester) improved the flexibility of PLA as well as its compatibility with PBAT. It was found that the addition of the plasticizer effectively promoted chain mobility of the PLA matrix. Moreover, the interfacial adhesion between the plasticized PLA domain and PBAT matrix was enhanced. The results of the present study demonstrated that the plasticized PLA/PBAT blown film prepared utilizing a blown film extrusion process exhibited improved tear resistance, which increased from 4.63 to 8.67 N/mm in machine direction and from 13.19 to 16.16 N/mm in the transverse direction.

Investigations of film thickness variations in blown film extrusion when using air guiding systems

The mass throughput and thus the productivity of a blown film line strongly depends on heat transfer from the film. Existing cooling systems are therefore constantly being further developed. Usually, the film is convectively cooled by cooling rings, coupled with an internal bubble cooling (IBC) system to increase the surface area and the cooling rate. Convection has a major disadvantage which is a low cooling efficiency due to a low heat transfer coefficient. Against this background a flexible air guiding system was developed at the Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV), Aachen, Germany. This system encloses the bubble expansion zone and creates a flow gap between an air guiding flexible membrane and the film bubble. In this gap the cooling air velocity is increased, which leads to a higher cooling efficiency. The novel system can be adjusted to many bubble geometries during the extrusion process and increases the mass throughput by up to 62%. However, higher cooling air velocities lead to film movement in the bubble expansion zone and thus also to considerable film thickness variations. In this article the air guiding system influence on the thickness variations is investigated by quantifying the film movement versus the process parameters. For this purpose, a digital image processing system is used which corelates the film movement phenomena with the film thickness variations.