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Evaluation of biodegradation of polylactic acid mineral composites in composting conditions
Author(s) -
Flynn Allison,
Torres Lennard F.,
HartCooper William,
McCaffrey Zach,
Glenn Gregory M.,
Wood Delilah F.,
Orts William J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.48939
Subject(s) - polylactic acid , biodegradation , materials science , composite material , scanning electron microscope , polymer , chemistry , organic chemistry
In this study, the enhancement of the biodegradation rate of polylactic acid (PLA) filled with commercially available soil amendment product (NTM) or a nanoclay (Cloisite 25A) were evaluated. Cloisite 25A and NTM were incorporated into PLA at 5, 10, 20 (w/w) through melt blending. Transmission electron micrographs revealed particles with a wide range of sizes that were formed by clumping of many smaller particles. The particles showed good dispersion in PLA by scanning electron microscopy. Under standard composting conditions using a standard technique for aerobic biodegradation of plastic materials, it was shown that the addition of NTM enhanced the biodegradation rate of PLA composites by 3‐ to 4‐fold compared to neat PLA. Linear kinetics were used to obtain induction periods, half‐lives, and rates of mineralization. Finally, mechanical and thermomechanical properties of these blends were compared with PLA. Published 2020. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137 , 48939.