A New Approach to Environmentally Friendly Protein Plastics and Foams

New formaldehyde-free and isocyanate-free bioplastics and biofoams were prepared by reacting ovoalbumin and dimethyl carbonate (DMC) at a moderate temperature. Analysis by 13C NMR revealed a reaction between dimethyl carbonate and the amino and/or hydroxyl groups of the side chain of amino acids. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: María Cecilia Basso, Antonio Pizzi, Luc Delmotte
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: North Carolina State University 2015-10-01
Series:BioResources
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ojs.cnr.ncsu.edu/index.php/BioRes/article/view/BioRes_10_4_8014_Basso_Environmentally_Friendly_Protein_Plastics_Foams
Description
Summary:New formaldehyde-free and isocyanate-free bioplastics and biofoams were prepared by reacting ovoalbumin and dimethyl carbonate (DMC) at a moderate temperature. Analysis by 13C NMR revealed a reaction between dimethyl carbonate and the amino and/or hydroxyl groups of the side chain of amino acids. The densities were between 0.6 and 1.1 g/cm3 for the obtained plastics. Thermal and mechanical resistances peaked at 175 °C and 7.7 MPa, respectively. The Brinell hardness was 2. The prepared foam exhibited a density of 0.1 g/cm3 and an open cell structure. Impregnation with hexamethylene diamine (DAH) allowed for the preparation of materials with elastic mechanical behavior through the reaction of DAH and DMC. The new plastics and foams derived from ovoalbumin protein were markedly more environmentally friendly.
ISSN:1930-2126
1930-2126