Vol. 23, No. 3 (2024), IA24290 https://doi.org/10.24275/rmiq/IA24290

Evaluation of the biodegradation, mechanical and barrier properties of extruded corn starch/Agave tequilana fiber biocomposites as an alternative to packaging and single-use plastics

 

Authors

M.G. Iniestra-Galindo, F. Rodríguez-González, J.A. Mendoza-Pérez, E.F. Medina-Bañuelos, and B.M. Marín-Santibáñez

Abstract

In this work, we investigated the mechanical and water-vapor barrier properties, as well as the water solubility and biodegradability of biocomposites obtained by continuous extrusion made up of thermoplastic corn starch (TPS) reinforced with 1, 3, and 8 wt.% of /Agave tequilana fibers as an alternative to replace packaging polymers and single-use plastics. We show that increasing the content of Agave fibers in biocomposites up to 8 wt.% improves the elastic modulus by 136%, while water-vapor permeability and water solubility decrease by 29% and 17%, respectively. It is also shown that biocomposites are biodegradable in the soil since TPS/Agave tequilana fibers underwent the stages of deterioration, fragmentation, and assimilation, which are characteristics of the biodegradation process. Photographic records show that sheets lose their physical integrity over time due to the biodegradation of starch (matrix). The results suggest that biocomposites of thermoplastic corn starch reinforced with Agave fibers possess suitable mechanical and physicochemical properties to be used as an alternative to produce biodegradable plastic materials that can replace packaging and single-use synthetic plastics.

Keywords

Agave tequilana fibers, Corn starch, Continuous extrusion, biocomposites, biodegradation.

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