Processability and Biodegradability Evaluation of Composites from Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) Bioplastic and Biofuel Co-products from Ontario |
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Authors: | Andrew Anstey Sudhakar Muniyasamy Murali M. Reddy Manjusri Misra Amar Mohanty |
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Affiliation: | 1. Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre (BDDC), Department of Plant Agriculture, Crop Science Building, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada 2. School of Engineering, Thornbrough Building, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
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Abstract: | This study investigates the processability and biodegradability of composite bioplastic materials. Biocomposites were processed using twin-screw compounding of the bioplastic poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) with bio-based fillers derived from co-products of biofuel production. An extensive biodegradability evaluation was conducted on each biocomposite material, as well as the base materials, using respirometric testing to analyze the conversion of organic carbon into carbon dioxide. This evaluation revealed that the presence of meal-based fillers in the biocomposites increased the rate of biodegradation of the matrix polymer, degrading at a faster pace than both the pure PBS polymer and the switchgrass (SG) composite. This degradation was further confirmed using FT-IR and thermal analysis of the material structure before and after biodegradation. The increased biodegradation rate is attributed to the high concentration of proteins in the meal-based composites, which enhanced the hydrolytic biodegradation of the material and facilitated micro-organism growth. The SG-based composite degraded slower than the pure polymer due to its lignin content, which degrades via a different mechanism than the polymer, and slowed the biodegradation process. |
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