Soil Burial, Hygrothermal and Morphology of Durian Skin Fiber Filled Polylactic Acid Biocomposites

Abstract

In this work, the alkali (NaOH) treated and untreated durian skin fibers (DSF) were added into polylactic acid (PLA) to form biocomposites. The PLA/DSF biocomposite preparation was performed via melt blending method (180°C, 50 rpm and 10 mins retention time) at different loadings of DSF, i.e., 15, 25, 30 and 40 wt%, followed by compression molding to form thin sheet. The experimental investigation was carried out to study the weight loss of the PLA/DSF subjected to soil burial for 80 days and hygrothermal test for 14 days. Results showed that the incorporation of DSF can accelerate the weight loss of PLA, higher weight loss was observed at higher fiber content in both soil burial and hygrothermal test. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs showed the presence of crack line and voids, signs of degradation for soil buried sample.

Characterization and Properties of Durian Skin Fiber Filled Polylactic Acid/Polypropylene Compatibilized with Glut Palmitate Salt

“…Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the most used biopolymers which is made from renewable sources such as corn, potato, cassava, and rice by bacterial fermentation [1]. PLA has become one of the interesting biopolymers due to its properties such as high strength, high modulus, compostable and regarded as a safe material for food packaging application [2]. PLA is a biodegradable plastic making it become an answer to "white pollution" and energy problems [3].…”