PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF BIODEGRADABLE POLYMER/POLYOLEFIN-NATURAL FIBERS TERNARY COMPOSITES SYSTEMS

VERA ALVAREZ; MD. MINHAZ-UL HAQUE; LEANDRO LUDUEÑA; MASSIMO PACI; MARIANO PRACELLA

Ciudad de Heredia, Costa Rica

Simposio; XII SIMPOSIO LATINOAMERICANO DE POLÍMEROS, SLAP 2010; 2010

The amount of plastic in municipal waste streams was equal to the combined amount of metal and glass. Biodegradable materials made from renewable resources have been tested as alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. However, due to their high cost and specific properties, an advantageous possibility is that to use blends of biodegradable polymers with traditional ones to obtain materials with improved cost/performances ratio. Moreover, natural fibers exhibit several advantages, such as low cost, renewability and biodegradability, which can be exploited for designing novel eco-compatible composites. The aim of this work was to prepare and characterize biodegradable polyester/polyolefin blend composites containing natural fibers that can be used in packaging industry. The final objective is to obtain materials with enhanced mechanical properties, lower cost and reduced environmental impact.