(Bio)degradable polymers as a potential material for food packaging: studies on the (bio)degradation process of PLA/(R,S)-PHB rigid foils under industrial composting conditions

摘要

The rigid foils obtained from polylactide (PLA) with synthetic poly[(R, S)-3-hydroxybutyrate] ((R, S)-PHB) can be used for production of food packages, which is important enhancement of biodegradable materials application. The biodegradable rigid packaging can be subjected to organic recycling together with food remains. The degradation of PLA and its blend with (R, S)-PHB as rigid foils were studied under industrial composting conditions. Incubation of these materials in water at 70 degrees C (hydrolytic degradation) was conducted as reference experiment. Gel permeation chromatography, electrospray mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance and differential scanning calorimetry were used to determine the progress of degradation during incubation in selected environments. The present results showed that PLA-based rigid foil degrades under industrial composting conditions. In the blends, (R, S)-PHB content was found to accelerate the degradation process under industrial composting conditions in comparison with the reference experiment. Thus, it is possible to control the degradation process by changing the composition of polymer blend.