Abstract
Due to its ester bonds, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) undergoes biodegradation in humid environments, attracting market attention. The goal of this work was to observe the biodegradation in garden soil of PLA nanocomposites with neat (PLA/CNW) and surfactant modified cellulose nanowhiskers (PLA/CNW/S). Three types of surfactants were tested: poly(ethylene glycol) monooleate (PEGMONO) and poly(ethylene glycol) with molecular weight of 300 and 1000 Da. The films were obtained by solution casting, cut in strips of (2x2) cm and buried in garden soil, monitoring the temperature and humidity. After 90, 120 and 150 days changes were observed in the films by visual inspection, polarized light microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that the addition of surfactant favored the biodegradation of nanocomposites and that PLA/CNW/PEG1000 showed the fastest biodegradation rate.
Highlights
The environment is suffering serious damage due to the overuse of natural resources and the growth of urban centers
A solution to minimize problems associated with the accumulation of plastics waste is the use of biodegradable polymers, which are susceptible to degradation caused by the action of microorganisms, leading to fragmentation, followed by mineralization[3]
The aim of this study was to evaluate the biodegradation of Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposites with neat Cellulose nanowhiskers (CNW) (PLA/CNW) and surfactant modified CNW (PLA/CNW/S)
Summary
The environment is suffering serious damage due to the overuse of natural resources and the growth of urban centers. The increase in the generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) is among the main environmental problems experienced in the contemporary world. In this context, the growing use of petroleum based plastics for various applications, together with their non-biodegradable nature account for a significant part of this impact, a problem aggravated by the lack of adequate waste disposal sites[1,2]. Cellulose nanowhiskers (CNW) together with biodegradable polymers from renewable resources attract attention from the scientific community for having a new perspective on a future scenario in replacing non-degradable plastics. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), a type of biodegradable polymer, appears as a thermoplastic synthesized from renewable resources and with applications in several areas. The biodegradation time of PLA in the environment is in the order of six months to two years compared to 500 to 1000 years for conventional plastics, such as polystyrene and polyethylene[4]
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