Fahimeh Alsadat Seyedbokaei, Manuel Felix, Carlos Bengoechea
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) can be extracted from agricultural waste and better employed in the formulation of bioplastics to promote sustainability. Zein, a hydrophobic prolamin protein that can be obtained from industrial wastes of the corn industry. It may be combined with hydrophilic CMC, resulting in composite materials where both functionalities are synergistically enhanced. In the zein/CMC systems studied in the present work, CMC was added directly in the mixing stage. Physical interactions take place as blends are formed, and the effect of the CMC concentration was studied from 5–30%. At the highest CMC concentration, those blend systems were compared to conjugated systems, where prior chemical conjugation of both biopolymers was carried out at 60°C for 48 h. The physical and chemical interactions between the biopolymers certainly affected the viscoelastic properties of the eventually obtained injection-moulded bioplastics. Thus, samples softened after the addition of CMC, independent of the procedure followed. Thus, the addition of CMC always resulted in a reduction in the viscoelastic moduli (i.e., E’ decreased from approximately 900 MPa in the absence of CMC to 265 MPa in the presence of 30% CMC, either blended or conjugated). Conversely, the samples presented much higher water uptake capacity (WUC) values when conjugation was carried out. Therefore, the WUC of zein bioplastics (approximately 200%) increased to 950% for 30% conjugated CMC, which is almost twice the value obtained when the same amount of CMC was added in the mixing stage. Biodegradable biocomposite materials obtained through conjugation could be of great interest for developing hydrophilic green materials.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Polymers and the Environment fills the need for an international forum in this diverse and rapidly expanding field. The journal serves a crucial role for the publication of information from a wide range of disciplines and is a central outlet for the publication of high-quality peer-reviewed original papers, review articles and short communications. The journal is intentionally interdisciplinary in regard to contributions and covers the following subjects - polymers, environmentally degradable polymers, and degradation pathways: biological, photochemical, oxidative and hydrolytic; new environmental materials: derived by chemical and biosynthetic routes; environmental blends and composites; developments in processing and reactive processing of environmental polymers; characterization of environmental materials: mechanical, physical, thermal, rheological, morphological, and others; recyclable polymers and plastics recycling environmental testing: in-laboratory simulations, outdoor exposures, and standardization of methodologies; environmental fate: end products and intermediates of biodegradation; microbiology and enzymology of polymer biodegradation; solid-waste management and public legislation specific to environmental polymers; and other related topics.