Abstract
This article is focused on the development of a series of biodegradable and eco-friendly biocomposites based on starch polymer (Mater-Bi DI01A) filled with 30 wt% almond shell (AS) of different varieties (Desmayo Rojo, Largueta, Marcona, Mollar, and a commercial mixture of varieties) to study the influence of almond variety in the properties of injected biodegradable parts. The different AS varieties are analysed by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The biocomposites are prepared in a twin-screw extruder and characterized in terms of their mechanical (tensile, flexural, Charpy impact, and hardness tests) and thermal properties (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and TGA). Despite observing differences in the chemical composition of the individual varieties with respect to the commercial mixture, the results obtained from the mechanical characterisation of the biocomposites do not present significant differences between the diverse varieties used. From these results, it was concluded that the most recommended option is to work with the commercial mixture of almond shell varieties, as it is easier and cheaper to acquire.
Highlights
One of the greatest environmental challenges today is to find novel ways to utilise waste and residues derived from agricultural processes
This paper studies the influence on the properties of the polymeric and checks commercial starch-based thermoplastic matrix, Mater-Bi®, which is filled with almond shells of that the mixture of varieties canalso be studies used even if the proportion of varieties changes and a little so that different varieties
For later works, industrial equipment was used without any problem, collaborating with real compounding companies and injection moulders working in the toy, household, and packaging industries
Summary
One of the greatest environmental challenges today is to find novel ways to utilise waste and residues derived from agricultural processes. The possibility to utilise biomass residues as fillers in polymer composites has attracted substantial interest, especially during the present decade Various natural fillers such as jute, banana, alfa, argant shell, rice straws, or coffee grounds have been tested as reinforcement in polymer composites based on commodity plastics such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) [1]. This increased interest is due to their advantages over synthetic and mineral fillers: low cost, low density, non-toxicity, high specific properties, non-abrasive during processing, recycling possibility, and easy processability. A high concentration of hemicellulose provides high thermal stability to natural fibres, but mechanical properties are reduced and, so are the mechanical properties of the biocomposites
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