BIOPOLYMERS FOR FOOD PACKAGING APPLICATIONS

IGLESIAS MONTES, M.L.; MANFREDI, L.B.; CYRAS, V. P.

Ciudad de México

Simposio; VII Simposio Anual de Estudiantes relacionados a la Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales; 2020

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México-Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales

The development of bio-based polymers and innovative process technologies can reduce the dependence on the indiscriminate use of fossil fuel polymers in the packaging industry, and move to a sustainable materials basis. In this sense, novel biodegradable blends of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), plasticized with tributyrin (TB), are here developed and proposed as an eco-friendly alternative. Polymeric films with PLA/PHB ratio of 70/30 and 15 wt.% of compatibilizer (TB) were obtained by melt mixing (185ºC and 50 rpm) and compression molding (190ºC and 5 MPa). This work focuses on the enhancement of packaging performance of the green materials based on their UV-protection, barrier and mechanical properties as well as their biodegradability. The incorporation of TB in the polymeric matrix enhanced the ductility of materials; UV spectrophotometry revealed that PLA/PHB/TB blend exhibits high transparency and UV-A, UV-B and UV-C protection capacity; and water barrier properties measurements proved that the bio-based material performance is comparable to those of some commodities like low-density polyethylene (LDPE). All the obtained materials fully disintegrated within 35 days buried in composting soil, corroborating their condition as compostable plastic materials according to the ISO20200 standard. Finally, results highlight the potential of these new blends broadening the current application field of PLA and PHB.