Fabrication of bioplastic material based on ethyl-cellulose using hot-melt extrusion

Abstract

Ethyl-cellulose (EC) was used for thermal fabrication of bioplastic materials using hot-melt extrusion. Plasticizers were chosen based on compatibility analysis using Hansen Solubility Parameters theory. The thermal analysis showed lower Tg and Tm values for all samples, suggesting the extrusion process, as well as plasticizer addition, affected the polymer thermal behavior. Myvacet® (acetylated monoglycerides) had the most significant effect, decreasing the Tg from 128.73 ± 0.83 to 113.52 ± 0.36 ℃ and the Tm from 178.41 ± 0.79 to 166.66 ± 0.64 ℃. Overall, all plasticizers led to thermoplastic mechanical behavior characterized by elastic and plastic deformations, as opposed to the solely elastic behavior of the neat EC films, confirming the plasticizing effect. Moreover, the plasticized films exhibited significantly higher tensile strength and percent of elongation at break, resulting in stronger and more flexible films. EC-based films exhibit high permeability to oxygen and relatively high water vapor transmission rate (∼100 g/m2day at 38 ℃ and 90% RH) which signifies EC suitability as packaging material for fresh produce.