Abstract
In this paper the production of biopolymeric blends of poly(butylene succinate) PBS and plasticized whey protein (PWP), obtained from a natural by-product from cheese manufacturing, has been investigated for the production of films and/or sheets. In order to add the highest possible whey protein content, different formulations (from 30 to 50 wt.%) were studied. It was found that by increasing the amount of PWP added to PBS, the mechanical properties were worsened accordingly. This trend was attributed to the low compatibility between PWP and PBS. Consequently, the effect of the addition of soy lecithin and glycerol monostearate (GMS) as compatibilizers was investigated and compared to the use of whey protein modified with oleate and laurate groups obtained by Schotten-Baumann reaction. Soy lecithin and the Schotten-Baumann modified whey were effective in compatibilizing the PWP/PBS blend. In fact, a significant increase in elastic modulus, tensile strength and elongation at break with respect to the not compatibilized blend was observed and the length of aliphatic chains as well as the degree of modification of the Schotten–Baumann proteins affected the results. Moreover, thanks to DSC investigations, these compatibilizers were also found effective in increasing the PBS crystallinity.
Highlights
The growing preoccupation about dependence on fossil fuels has led to the development of new materials from renewable resources able to respond to market needs
Molecules 2020, 25, x an increment of Torque value is recorded with a maximum of 144 N·cm for poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/plasticized whey protein (PWP) 50/50 blend
This work provides a contribution on poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) blends containing plasticized whey proteins isolate (PWP)
Summary
The growing preoccupation about dependence on fossil fuels has led to the development of new materials from renewable resources able to respond to market needs. The push of biobased and biodegradable materials was mainly due to the problem of the disposal of conventional plastics; about 360 million tons of plastic materials are used everywhere in different sectors and constant growing is expected in the years [1,2,3]. The use of a second-generation feedstocks (that means use biomaterials that are byproducts, wastes or residues from the first generation feedstocks), is the preferable option to foreseen [9,10]. At this purpose a valid option can be the production of biopolymeric blends and proteins that are low-cost natural waste. Vegetable as well as animal proteins are natural polymers that, blended with suitable additives, can assume a behavior typical of conventional polymers [5]
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