Desenvolvimento de plastico biodegradavel a base de amido de milho e gelatina pelo processo de extrusão : avaliação das propriedades mecanicas, termicas e de barreira / Development of a biodegradable plastic base of cornstarch and gelatin by the process of extrusion: evaluation of mechanical properties, thermal and barrier

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2003

RESUMO

Due to the increasing accumulation of synthetic plastic rubbish, damaging the ecosystem, various strategies are being followed aimed at decreasing this aggression by way of prevention, reduction, recycling and chemical valorization of the synthetic materials, and especially by the use of biodegradable polymers. The use of starch to make thermoplastic materials is promising, due principally to the natural availability of the product, which is extracted from an endless stock of raw materials (cereals, roots, tubers etc.). However, the blends are not completely biodegradable. Thus this research involved the use of twin screw thermoplastic extrusion with an appropriate rectangular matrix, to produce biodegradable thermoplastic laminated materials based on starch and gelatin and plastified by glycerol and water, capable of being molded into the form of discardable products etc.. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to establish predictive mathematical models based on the Central Compound rotational Design (CCRD) in a 23 complete factorial plan with 5 levels and 3 independent variables, these being the gelatin (50.0; 100.0; 150.0 g/g, wet basis) and glycerin (50.0; 100.0; 150.0 g/g, wet basis) concentrations in 1000g of mix, and the moisture content (30, 35, 40%). The responses obtained to the 2 x 2 combinations of the three factors were evaluated, considering the barrier and strain mechanical properties of the thermoplastic laminates obtained after extrusion, such as: Maximum resistance to strain, Percentage of stretching, Elasticity (Young´s modulus), Water vapor permeability and the disintegration index in an aqueous medium. Mathematical methodology to optimize the trials was then developed which allowed one to choose the 6 main trials from the total of 18 from the design using a combination formula of best responses. After choosing those samples showing the best properties, the physical, chemical e morphological properties were evaluated using the following techniques: scanning electron microscopy (SEM), an estimate of the storage conditions, water absorption, X-ray diffraction and relative crystallinity index. The following thermal properties were evaluated in order to observe the thermal behavior of the laminates: Thermal Conductivity, Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Thermal Dynamic Mechanical analysis (TDMA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The mechanical properties of the thermoplastic laminates were mostly influenced by the gelatin and glycerol concentrations, presenting a mean value for maximum resistance to strain of 4.87 MPa and a maximum value of 12.62 MPa; a mean value for % stretching of 46.46% with a maximum of 81.58% and a mean value for the Young´s Modulus of 160.70 Mpa with a maximum of 568.49 MPa. With respect to water vapor permeability, despite being influenced exclusively by the glycerol concentration, this presented only slight variation, with the smallest value being similar to the largest value, whilst the disintegration index in water was dependant on both the gelatin and plastifier concentrations and the smaller the concentrations of these two concentrations, the smaller the disintegration. An evaluation of the behavior of the laminates under simulated environmental conditions, showed that some of them presented no alterations in their properties during 25 days of storage at 65 and 75% RH. The SEM results indicated that several of the various formulations used in the different trials caused alterations in the morphology of the polymeric matrix. The concentrations of gelatin and glycerol influenced the crystallinity of the laminates, the control laminate being more crystalline than those formulated in the trials. The Thermal Conductivity of the laminates was shown to be greater than that of the synthetic materials. For thermal degradation, stability was observed at about 230°C, point at which the materials started to loose mass as observed by the Thermogravimetric analysis, whilst the vitreous transitions determined by TDMA and DSC were dependant on the components of the trial formulations and storage time

ASSUNTO(S)

glicerina glycerol mechanical amido propriedades termicas biopolymers thermal properties thermoplastic starch propriedades mecanicas gelatina biodegradable plastic biopolimeros barrier processo de extrusão gelatin extrusion

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