THE PROPERTIES OF PHBV/CaCO3 COMPOSITES PREPARED BY MELT PROCESSING


Kırboğa S., Öner M.

ICNTC 2020 (International Conference on New Trends in Chemistry ), Gazimagusa, Cyprus (Kktc), 17 - 18 October 2020, pp.102-103

  • Publication Type: Conference Paper / Summary Text
  • City: Gazimagusa
  • Country: Cyprus (Kktc)
  • Page Numbers: pp.102-103
  • Yıldız Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Bio-based polymers can be obtained entirely or partially from natural resources. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), bio-based thermoplastic polymer, are produced by a wide variety of bacteria. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), a member of PHA family, is a linear bacterial polyester. It is a very fragile polyester with high crystallinity and the biodegradation rate is very low due to its high crystallinity. The addition of 3-hydroxyvalerate (HV) monomers to poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) can be a good solution to this problem. The major application of bioplastics is packaging industry. In the packaging industry, it may be necessary to add additives to the polymer to avoid microbial activity and prevent the formation of biofilms or contamination. The additives/fillers can be used to increase the mechanical, thermal and/or barrier performances of the composites [1,2]. Many low-cost fillers, such as calcium carbonate, are available with different particle properties. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is one of the most important and abundant mineral fillers used in the plastic industry over the years [3]. CaCO3 can be used to enhance the properties of composites. Nanometer-scale calcium carbonate particles caused to higher tensile and flexural strength of polypropylene. With the addition of calcium carbonate, the nanocomposite module increased by 85%, while ultimate stress and strain, yield stress and strain were not affected much [4,5]. Similarly, the mechanical and tear resistance of Polybutadiene rubber (PBR) increased with the addition of CaCO3 [6]. Although the incorporation of CaCO3 into polymers has been carried out, to the best of our knowledge from a thorough survey of the literature, calcium carbonate filled PHBV related research has been limited. This study aimed to prepare Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate, PHBV), biocomposites with incorporating various percentages calcium carbonate (CaCO3) using extrusion processing.