Abstract
The use of biodegradable polymers made from renewable agricultural products such as soy protein isolate has been limited by the tendency of these materials to absorb moisture. A straightforward approach for controlling the inherent water absorbency of the biodegradable polymers involves blending special bioabsorbable polyphosphate fillers, biodegradable soy protein isolate, plasticizer, and adhesion promoter in a high-shear mixer followed by compression molding. The procedure yields a relatively water-resistant, biodegradable soy protein polymer composite, as previously reported. The aim of the present study is to determine the biodegradability of the new polyphosphate filler/soy protein plastic composites by monitoring the carbon dioxide released over a period of 120 days. The results suggest that the composites biodegrade satisfactorily, with the fillers having no significant effect on the depolymerization and mineralization of the soy protein plastic, processes that would otherwise result in nonbiodegradable composites. Further, the results indicate that the biodegradation and useful service life of these biocomposites may be controlled by changing the filler concentration, making the biocomposites useful in applications in which the control of water resistance and biodegradation is critical.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
I. Paetau (1993) Biodegradable Plastics Made from Soy Protein, M.S. thesis, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
I. Paetau, C. Z. Chen, and J. Jane (1994) Ind. Eng. Chem Res. 33, 1821-1827.
H. K. Salzberg (1969) in H.F. Mark et al. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology, Vol. II, Wiley, New York, pp. 696-701.
C. H. Shilling, T. Babcock, S. Wang, and J. Jane (1995) J. Mater. Sci. 10, 2197-2202.
J. U. Otaigbe and D. O. Adams (1997) J. Environ. Polym. Degrad. 5, 199-208.
C. J. Quinn and G. H. Beall (1992) in L. L. Hench and J. K. West (Eds.), Chemical Processing of Advanced Materials, Wiley, New York, pp. 799-805.
J. U. Otaigbe and G. H. Beall (1997), Trends Polym. Sci. 5, 369-379.
K. E. Spence, J.-L. Jane, and A. L. Pometto III (1995), J. Environ. Polym. Degrad. 3, 69-74.
K.-L. G. Ho and A. L. Pometto III (1999), J. Environ. Polym. Degrad. 7, 101-108.
C. J. Quinn, P. D. Frayer, and G. H. Beall (1996) in J. C. Salamone (Ed.), Polymeric Materials Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, pp. 2766-2777 [and references therein].
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tkaczyk, A.H., Otaigbe, J.U. & Ho, KL.G. Bioabsorbable Soy Protein Plastic Composites: Effect of Polyphosphate Fillers on Biodegradability. Journal of Polymers and the Environment 9, 19–23 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016088319709
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016088319709