Studies on recyclability of polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate bioplastic: Multiple melt processing and performance evaluations

Recyclability of the bioplastic polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHBV) was studied with multiple melt processing (five cycles), with their performances evaluated. A batch of PHBV was processed with a twin screw extrusion followed by injection molding. This operation was repeated five times and samples were collected from each cycle for characterization. For each cycle, the mechanical properties were characterized with tensile, flexural, and impact testing, along with dynamic mechanical analysis. The results showed that the mechanical properties are maintained for four cycles; but in the fifth cycle, there was slight decrease in the properties. Gel permeation chromatography studies revealed that the molecular weight of the polymer does not decrease drastically; however, a drop was observed after third, fourth, and fifth cycle (8.7% decrease after third cycle, 13.5% decrease after fourth cycle, and 16.6% decrease after fifth cycle). The differential scanning calorimeter showed that the glass transition and melting temperatures did not change upon reprocessing, but the degree of crystallinity was reduced as a consequence of melt processing. The thermal gravimetric analysis showed that the onset value of thermal decomposition decreased very slightly. It was observed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy that the chemical structure of PHBV was maintained without any side chain reaction during processing. Scanning electron microscopy studies from the fractured surfaces of Cycles 1 and 5 confirmed that the uniformity of PHBV surfaces was maintained after five cycles, coinciding with the mechanical tests. The density measurements revealed that there was no change in the density of PHBV. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012