The Impact of the Macaiba Components Addition on the Biodegradation Acceleration of Poly (ε-Caprolactone) (PCL)

Nowadays, there is a need to obtain eco-friendly materials, especially plastics that are responsible for most of the environmental pollution. In this regard, poly(epsilon-caprolactone) PCL biocomposites with 10wt% of the oil (O) and/or 10wt% of the flour (F) extracted from the macaiba almond were produced in order to carry out a study of this polymer biodegradation acceleration. Mechanical properties (impact, traction and flexural), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric (TGA), water absorption, contact angle and analysis by optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electronics (SEM) were evaluated. Through these analyzes, it was noted that in the PCL-O biocomposite, the oil acted as a plasticizer in the PCL and in the PCL-FO biocomposite, there was an interaction among both phases. The samples biodegradation took place in accordance with ASTM G160-03 by burying impact specimens in compost for 60 days. The PCL-F biocomposite showed a mass loss of approximately 45%, followed by PCL-FO, with a loss of approximately 25%, both compositions also presented a rough morphology, with cracks and pores presence due to biodegradation from the microorganism action. These results have shown that the flour obtained from the macaiba almond is a promising agent for accelerating the PCL biodegradation.

Automated summary

A study was conducted on PCL biocomposites with oil and/or flour extracted from the macaiba almond, showing that the flour can accelerate PCL biodegradation, while the oil acts as a plasticizer in the polymer.