Application of Fungal Biomass for the Development of New Polylactic Acid-Based Biocomposites
Fungal biomass (FB), a by-product of the fermentation processes produced in large volumes, is a promising biomaterial that can be incorporated into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) to develop enhanced biocomposites that fully comply with the biobased circular economy concept. The PLA/FB composites, with the...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-04-01
|
| Series: | Polymers |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/9/1738 |
| _version_ | 1797503203330228224 |
|---|---|
| author | Mohammadtaghi Asadollahzadeh Amir Mahboubi Mohammad J. Taherzadeh Dan Åkesson Patrik R. Lennartsson |
| author_facet | Mohammadtaghi Asadollahzadeh Amir Mahboubi Mohammad J. Taherzadeh Dan Åkesson Patrik R. Lennartsson |
| author_sort | Mohammadtaghi Asadollahzadeh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fungal biomass (FB), a by-product of the fermentation processes produced in large volumes, is a promising biomaterial that can be incorporated into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) to develop enhanced biocomposites that fully comply with the biobased circular economy concept. The PLA/FB composites, with the addition of triethyl citrate (TEC) as a biobased plasticizer, were fabricated by a microcompounder at 150 °C followed by injection molding. The effects of FB (10 and 20 wt %) and TEC (5, 10, and 15 wt %) contents on the mechanical, thermal and surface properties of the biocomposites were analyzed by several techniques. The PLA/FB/TEC composites showed a rough surface in their fracture section. A progressive decrease in tensile strength and Young’s modulus was observed with increasing FB and TEC, while elongation at break and impact strength started to increase. The neat PLA and biocomposite containing 10% FB and 15% TEC exhibited the lowest (3.84%) and highest (224%) elongation at break, respectively. For all blends containing FB, the glass transition, crystallization and melting temperatures were shifted toward lower values compared to the neat PLA. The incorporation of FB to PLA thus offers the possibility to overcome one of the main drawbacks of PLA, which is brittleness. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:47:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b1b8e4156bf84cf6bb19645dbda1f40f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:47:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymers |
| spelling | doaj.art-b1b8e4156bf84cf6bb19645dbda1f40f2023-11-23T09:05:32ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602022-04-01149173810.3390/polym14091738Application of Fungal Biomass for the Development of New Polylactic Acid-Based BiocompositesMohammadtaghi Asadollahzadeh0Amir Mahboubi1Mohammad J. Taherzadeh2Dan Åkesson3Patrik R. Lennartsson4Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, SwedenSwedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, SwedenSwedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, SwedenSwedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, SwedenSwedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, SwedenFungal biomass (FB), a by-product of the fermentation processes produced in large volumes, is a promising biomaterial that can be incorporated into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) to develop enhanced biocomposites that fully comply with the biobased circular economy concept. The PLA/FB composites, with the addition of triethyl citrate (TEC) as a biobased plasticizer, were fabricated by a microcompounder at 150 °C followed by injection molding. The effects of FB (10 and 20 wt %) and TEC (5, 10, and 15 wt %) contents on the mechanical, thermal and surface properties of the biocomposites were analyzed by several techniques. The PLA/FB/TEC composites showed a rough surface in their fracture section. A progressive decrease in tensile strength and Young’s modulus was observed with increasing FB and TEC, while elongation at break and impact strength started to increase. The neat PLA and biocomposite containing 10% FB and 15% TEC exhibited the lowest (3.84%) and highest (224%) elongation at break, respectively. For all blends containing FB, the glass transition, crystallization and melting temperatures were shifted toward lower values compared to the neat PLA. The incorporation of FB to PLA thus offers the possibility to overcome one of the main drawbacks of PLA, which is brittleness.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/9/1738fungal biomass (FB)poly(lactic acid) (PLA)triethyl citrate (TEC)biopolymersbiocompositebrittleness |
| spellingShingle | Mohammadtaghi Asadollahzadeh Amir Mahboubi Mohammad J. Taherzadeh Dan Åkesson Patrik R. Lennartsson Application of Fungal Biomass for the Development of New Polylactic Acid-Based Biocomposites Polymers fungal biomass (FB) poly(lactic acid) (PLA) triethyl citrate (TEC) biopolymers biocomposite brittleness |
| title | Application of Fungal Biomass for the Development of New Polylactic Acid-Based Biocomposites |
| title_full | Application of Fungal Biomass for the Development of New Polylactic Acid-Based Biocomposites |
| title_fullStr | Application of Fungal Biomass for the Development of New Polylactic Acid-Based Biocomposites |
| title_full_unstemmed | Application of Fungal Biomass for the Development of New Polylactic Acid-Based Biocomposites |
| title_short | Application of Fungal Biomass for the Development of New Polylactic Acid-Based Biocomposites |
| title_sort | application of fungal biomass for the development of new polylactic acid based biocomposites |
| topic | fungal biomass (FB) poly(lactic acid) (PLA) triethyl citrate (TEC) biopolymers biocomposite brittleness |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/9/1738 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mohammadtaghiasadollahzadeh applicationoffungalbiomassforthedevelopmentofnewpolylacticacidbasedbiocomposites AT amirmahboubi applicationoffungalbiomassforthedevelopmentofnewpolylacticacidbasedbiocomposites AT mohammadjtaherzadeh applicationoffungalbiomassforthedevelopmentofnewpolylacticacidbasedbiocomposites AT danakesson applicationoffungalbiomassforthedevelopmentofnewpolylacticacidbasedbiocomposites AT patrikrlennartsson applicationoffungalbiomassforthedevelopmentofnewpolylacticacidbasedbiocomposites |