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Liquefaction of corn husks and properties of biodegradable biopolyol blends
Author(s) -
Briones Rodrigo,
Rodriguez Jesús,
Labidi Jalel,
Cunningham Eoin,
Martin Peter
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.6458
Subject(s) - plasticizer , husk , materials science , starch , biodegradation , bioplastic , liquefaction , thermoplastic , ultimate tensile strength , polymer , composite material , biodegradable plastic , chemical engineering , glycerol , chemistry , organic chemistry , waste management , engineering , biology , botany
BACKGROUND A valorization route of corn husks from agrarian practices was performed by liquefaction using glycerol as liquefaction solvent to obtain biopolyols used as bioadditives in starch blends with the aim to find a useful industrial application in polymer processing. RESULTS Low‐molecular‐weight liquefied products obtained from a practically total conversion reaction can be used for composite formulations (OH number, 310 mg KOH g −1 ; viscosity, 3.4 Pa s; molecular weight, 549 g mol −1 ). Concurrently, starch thermoplastic blends using various proportions of biopolyol (40, 30 and 20 wt%) as plasticizer were produced with maximum torque and plasticization energy ranging from 3.4 to 15.1 Nm and from 1.7 to 9.1 Nm min −1 . The starch/biopolyol (70/30) sheets obtained by thermopressing showed properties similar to those of controls (starch/glycerol: 70/30), such as sensitivity to environment, retrodegradation, biodegradability and density; however, mechanical properties exhibited better performance compared to controls (Young’s modulus, 14 MPa; strain at break, 33%; tensile strength, 1.2 MPa), which indicates a material with major mechanical balance. CONCLUSIONS The adequacy in the conversion of corn husks into biopolyols that could be used as improved biobased plasticizers to obtain biodegradable blends is revealed. Hence, this study demonstrates that liquefied corn husk residues are sustainable resources with suitable properties for polymer processing, which can be applied in bioplastics and be considered as a value‐added feature. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry