Degradation of Polyester-Based and Vegetable Fiber Polymeric Composites
Keywords:
EcobrasTM, Green Coconut Fiber, Cornstover, DegradationAbstract
In recent decades, polymeric materials have been considered to be a cause of environmental problems worldwide. An alternative to address this problem is the use of biodegradable polymers, which are materials that are degraded through the action of microorganisms and that are becoming a new global trend. In this study, composites were prepared using a biodegradable matrix based on polyester and cornstarch (EcobrasTM) with vegetable fibers of coconut and corn stover, having two types of polymerization degree, namely, film and injection-molded samples. Degradability studies were conducted in simulated soil, following the ASTM G 160-03 protocol, through the monitoring of mass loss and morphology observations of EcobrasTM free from vegetable fibers and of composites combining film-grade EcobrasTM/coconut fiber and injection molding-grade EcobrasTM/corn stover, with vegetable fiber contents of 1%, 5% and 10% compared to the polymer matrix. The degradability tests showed that that all samples experienced significant mass losses. It was possible to confirm the mass loss and observe the presence of microorganisms attached to the samples after 17 weeks of degradation.
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