Abstract
A novel approach was used in the preparation of soy protein concentrate (SPC) and biodegradable thermoplastic blends. In contrast to many other soy protein (SP) blends where SP functioned merely as a filler, in this study SPC was processed as a plastic in blending with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), respectively. The plastication of SP and blending of the resulting SP plastic with PLA or PBAT were performed in the same extrusion process. The plastication involved gelation of SPC in the presence of water and subsequent plasticization of the gelated SPC by water and/or other plasticizer. The resulting PLA/SPC blends displayed a co-continuous phase structure and PBAT/SPC blends a percolated SPC network structure. Consequently, the blends demonstrated superior mechanical properties.
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