Liquefaction of corn husks and properties of biodegradable biopolyol blends

BACKGROUND A valorization route of corn husks from agrarian practices was performed by liquefaction using glycerol as liquefaction solvent to obtain biopolyols used as bioadditives in starch blends with the aim to find a useful industrial application in polymer processing. RESULTS Low‐molecular‐weig...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of chemical technology and biotechnology (1986) 2020-11, Vol.95 (11), p.2973-2982
Main Authors: Briones, Rodrigo, Rodriguez, Jesús, Labidi, Jalel, Cunningham, Eoin, Martin, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adequacy
Biodegradability
Biodegradation
Bioplastics
biopolyols
blends
Conversion
Corn
corn husks
Glycerol
Industrial applications
lignocellulosic biomass
Liquefaction
Mechanical properties
Modulus of elasticity
Molecular weight
Plasticizers
Polymer blends
Polymers
Starch
Tensile strength
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Summary:BACKGROUND A valorization route of corn husks from agrarian practices was performed by liquefaction using glycerol as liquefaction solvent to obtain biopolyols used as bioadditives in starch blends with the aim to find a useful industrial application in polymer processing. RESULTS Low‐molecular‐weight liquefied products obtained from a practically total conversion reaction can be used for composite formulations (OH number, 310 mg KOH g−1; viscosity, 3.4 Pa s; molecular weight, 549 g mol−1). Concurrently, starch thermoplastic blends using various proportions of biopolyol (40, 30 and 20 wt%) as plasticizer were produced with maximum torque and plasticization energy ranging from 3.4 to 15.1 Nm and from 1.7 to 9.1 Nm min−1. The starch/biopolyol (70/30) sheets obtained by thermopressing showed properties similar to those of controls (starch/glycerol: 70/30), such as sensitivity to environment, retrodegradation, biodegradability and density; however, mechanical properties exhibited better performance compared to controls (Young’s modulus, 14 MPa; strain at break, 33%; tensile strength, 1.2 MPa), which indicates a material with major mechanical balance. CONCLUSIONS The adequacy in the conversion of corn husks into biopolyols that could be used as improved biobased plasticizers to obtain biodegradable blends is revealed. Hence, this study demonstrates that liquefied corn husk residues are sustainable resources with suitable properties for polymer processing, which can be applied in bioplastics and be considered as a value‐added feature. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
ISSN:0268-2575
1097-4660
DOI:10.1002/jctb.6458