A Sustainable Approach for the Synthesis of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) Biocomposite by Employing Corncob-Derived Nanocellulose as a Reinforcing Agent

摘要

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is a copolymer synthesized by Bacillus megaterium co-utilizing cheese whey and food waste hydrolysate for its one-step production. The optimized substrate ratio of 60:40 (v/v) manifested maximum biomass of 3.09 +/- 0.12 g/L and PHBV yield of 2.0 +/- 0.3 g/L. Batch kinetics study revealed maximum biomass and PHBV yield of 3.05 +/- 0.07 g/L and 2.175 +/- 0.06 g/L respectively, with 71.43 +/- 0.28% g/g PHBV content. The integration of corncob-derived nanocellulose into PHBV was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyzed the thermal characteristics of the PHBV biocomposite, where the highest degradation temperature was obtained at 790 degrees C, thus exhibiting high thermal stability. The mechanical properties such as Young's modulus, elongation at break, and tensile strength of the biocomposite was comparatively higher than PHBV and was found to be 40 MPa, 5.310%, and 11.110 MPa, respectively. The enhanced thermal and mechanical characteristics of PHBV biocomposite proves that the corncob-derived nanocellulose can be employed as a reinforcing agent.