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Investigating the degradability of polyethylene using starch, oxo‐material, and polylactic acid under the different environmental conditions
Author(s) -
Panahi Lotfollah,
Gholizadeh Mortaza,
Hajimohammadi Reza
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
asia‐pacific journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.348
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1932-2143
pISSN - 1932-2135
DOI - 10.1002/apj.2402
Subject(s) - polylactic acid , crystallinity , starch , thermogravimetric analysis , materials science , ultimate tensile strength , polyethylene , high density polyethylene , composite material , chemical engineering , polymer , chemistry , food science , engineering
The change in the properties of low‐density polyethylene after adding starch, oxo‐material, polylactic acid, and their mixture was studied. Different amounts of the additives were added, and films were prepared by using a twin‐screw extruder at 150–225°C. By Minitab software, the optimum percentages of the additives were selected. The films were kept under different environmental conditions including “open atmosphere,” “buried underground,” and “buried underground with regular daily irrigation” for 6 months. The degradability, tensile strength, elongation at breaking point, and dart impact were measured. Thermogravimetric analysis and FTIR spectrum changes were used to monitor changes. SEM images illustrated that the starch changed the morphology significantly, while other additives did not show remarkable effects. Mechanical and chemical properties changed significantly when starch was added. The highest changes were recorded for the sample with three additives, which was showing the high efficiency of the film decomposition. The highest amount of chemical changes was recorded for the same film. After 6 months, the lowest crystallinity was recorded by DSC and XRD for the same sample. Different environmental conditions showed different effects on the films mechanical properties. However, chemical properties of the films, excluding the film with starch, did not change significantly.