Study of the properties and biodegradability of polyester/starch blends submitted to microbial attack

摘要

This work deals with the biodegradation of blends of poly(b-hydroxybutyrate)/starch and poly(b-hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate)/starch. The blends were obtained by evaporation of the solvent in the mixture of the polymers in chloroform. Tests were carried out in presence of micro-organisms which acted as biodegradation agents. The blends were consumed as carbon substrate and the production of CO2 was evaluated in the process. In addition, the polyesters' mechanical properties were reduced by the incorporation of starch in its structure. (1H) NMR and infrared spectroscopy detected some characteristic polyester degradation groups in the polyesters' chemical structure, thus confirming the alteration suffered by it.