Abstract
This study investigated bio-based plastic cushioning materials foamed through water phase-change characteristics using the natural by-product wheat bran. Experiments were carried out while increasing the wheat bran content from 20% to 70% in a blended composite material of polypropylene (PP) and wheat bran (WB). From the experimental results, we were able to prepare a bio-based plastic cushion that contained a high amount of natural materials, with a bran content of over 50%. This indicates the possibility of meeting the criteria for biodegradable plastics, as well as bio-based plastics. In this study, by inducing a foaming ratio of 95% or more, a volume-expansion ratio from 16 times to over 62 times was achieved. In addition, the optimal mixing condition for inducing a high-expansion foam was when the mixing ratio of PP and WB was 50/50, and the water content of the foaming agent was 25 parts per hundred resin. Finally, dynamic cushioning characteristics of PP50/WB50 composite foam prepared in this study and Polystyrene (PS) bead based commercial products were compared. The composite foam of this study showed comparable values, confirming commercialization possibility.
Highlights
Plastic packaging boxes or trays for storing products are highly practical, economical, and convenient, and their demand in the food industry is increasing rapidly
In this study, the experimental results of the foam test of bio-based plastics using PP as a matrix were summarized for the condition when the bran content is in the range of 20–70% (Figure 7)
The best result was obtained with the PP50/WB50 condition
Summary
Plastic packaging boxes or trays for storing products are highly practical, economical, and convenient, and their demand in the food industry is increasing rapidly. Most of these packaging materials are injection-molded, extruded, and thermoformed petroleum-based synthetic resins, e.g., polypropylene and polyethylene These petroleum-based plastic materials are convenient to use, but they are causing serious environmental pollution, e.g., environmental hormone leakage due to incineration or landfill disposal, creation of toxic dioxins, and air pollution caused by incomplete combustion of waste. To solve these serious environmental pollution problems, research and development on sustainable and environmentally friendly materials is actively being carried out. Bio-based plastics are a category of bio-plastics, which accelerate the plastic decomposition rate by adding biomass to the plastic
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