Biodegradable flexible foam: Novel material based on cassava TPS obtained by extrusion

Thermoplastic foams made from petrochemical polymers are commonly commercialized in the market, which, due to their chemical nature, require hundreds of years to degrade and therefore end up accumulating and polluting the environment. Therefore, the present research sought to develop a biodegradable...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Colloid and polymer science 2024-04, Vol.302 (4), p.597-608
Main Authors: Alban-Bolaños, Pedro, Ayala-Aponte, Alfredo Adolfo, Villada-Castillo, Héctor Samuel, Rodríguez-Herrera, Raúl, Ávalos-Belmonte, Felipe, Solanilla-Duque, José Fernando
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adsorption
Biodegradability
Bioplastics
Bulk density
Cassava
Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Commercialization
Complex Fluids and Microfluidics
Compressibility
Damping
Extrusion rate
Food Science
Gluten
Latex
Moisture
Nanotechnology and Microengineering
Natural rubber
Physical Chemistry
Plastic foam
Polyesters
Polymer Sciences
Soft and Granular Matter
Wheat
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Summary:Thermoplastic foams made from petrochemical polymers are commonly commercialized in the market, which, due to their chemical nature, require hundreds of years to degrade and therefore end up accumulating and polluting the environment. Therefore, the present research sought to develop a biodegradable foam from thermoplastic cassava starch, biodegradable polyester, and wheat gluten. Initially, an extreme vertex blend design was run, which comprised 60 to 70% thermoplastic starch (TPS), 30 to 40% biodegradable polyester, and 0 to 5% wheat gluten, the foam was obtained by extrusion and evaluated for expansion rate, bulk density, damping index, and morphology. A thin layer of rubber latex was applied to the foamed material with the most outstanding properties in order to reduce moisture adsorption, and its biodegradability was also evaluated. The results indicated that with the addition of 70% TPS, 30% polyester, and 0% wheat gluten, it was possible to obtain by extrusion a flexible thermoplastic foam with high radial expansion rate and low bulk density. Impregnation of the foam with natural rubber latex created an impermeable layer that helped to decrease moisture adsorption; however, there was an increase in compressibility. Also, it was found that this foam met the biodegradability condition since it presented a percentage of mineralization in relative terms of 97.59% in less than 180 days.
ISSN:0303-402X
1435-1536
DOI:10.1007/s00396-023-05204-z