J.

Atoms and Molecules/ 3(3); 2013 / 530536 Research Article

Obasi HC

Journal of Atoms and Molecules

An International Online Journal
ISSN 2277 1247

NATIVE CASSAVA STARCH (NCS)/ POLYPROPYLENE BLENDS: EFFECTS OF SOIL BURIAL ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES Obasi Henry C Department of Polymer and Textile Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, P.M.B 1526, Imo State, Nigeria. Received on: 06-06-2013 ABSTRACT: Native starches have an outstanding potential as a biodegradability promoter in thermoplastics. This study deals with the preparations of native cassava starch blends by a melt blend injection process. Good interfacial adhesion is generated between polypropylene matrix and native cassava starch filler by modifying with Polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride as new covalent bonds are formed. The resultant blends were prepared for biodegradability and mechanical tests. Tests on tensile strength, elongation at break and Youngs modulus, of the samples were performed and the findings reported. These results are discussed in view of the improved adhesion at the polypropylene/native cassava starch phase boundaries. KEY WORDS: biodegradability. Native cassava starch, polypropylene, PP-g-MA, mechanical tests, Revised on: 18-06-2013 Accepted on: 26062013

INTRODUCTION: Commodity polymers such as Polypropylene (PP) are broadly used in the present time. It is imperative therefore to develop biodegradability in these materials due to their continued defacing of the environment as a result of the non-degradable nature. Many biological materials may be incorporated into biodegradable polymer (Avella et al, 2000; McCrery et al, 1978). Recently developed in the field of polymers are biodegradable polymers. The main characteristic of these class of polymers is that they are biodegradable through the action of the microorganisms in appropriate environmental conditions (Contat-Radrigo et al, 2001). www.jamonline.in 530

* Corresponding author Obasi Henry C, Email: neduobasi35@yahoo.com Tel : +2348039478014

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J. Atoms and Molecules/ 3(3); 2013 / 530536 Blends of non-biodegradable and biodegradable can promote a reduction in the volume of plastic waste. The presence of a biodegradable component in a non biodegradable polymer matrix can be the good step for design and development of a biodegradable polymer. Biodegradation of polymers means the use of microorganisms in polymer blends to cause a breakdown of the polymer chain and subsequent disintegration of the molecular chain. Microbial action is however effective if the polymer blends contain some carbohydrates (Ogah and Afiukwa, 2012). Starch is a good biodegradable candidate for conventional polymers such as polypropylene. Besides enhancing the biodegradable capacity of the microorganisms, the type of starch used in the making of polymer blends can alter the properties of the polymer (Gomes et al, 2004). The blend material composed of a mixture of the conventional plastic with the biodegradable polymer is believed to produce a type of plastic materials with different mechanical properties (Rosen and Schway, 1980). Classical testing methods such as ASTM and of testing plastics for biodegradability showed that alteration in tensile properties and complete loss of structural integrity as a result of drastic decrease in molecular weight are evidence of biodegradation (Gilead and Ennis, 1987). Otake and Ono, (1995) also proposed the soil burial method as a way of testing for the biodegradability of polymers. In this case, the result of the biodegradation of LDPE, PVC, PS and UF buried in the soil for 32 years was found to correlate with the result obtained using the ASTM method. In this article, NCS/PP blends were subjected to soil burial. The objective of the paper is to All rights reserved 2011

Obasi HC study the behavior of the blends after the soil burial environment and the effects of the inclusion of polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA) using diminishing strength test. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Native Cassava Starch (NCS) was extracted from cassava roots obtained from Ehime Mbano, Imo State, Nigeria according to the method adopted by integrated cassava project (ICP) of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nigeria. It has a particle size of 0.075 mm. Polypropylene (PP) granules, with melting temperature of 165C and MFI of 70g/10 min were obtained from Ceeplast Nig. Ltd, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria. Polypropylene graft-maleic anhydride (PP-gMA) was obtained from Sigma-Aldrich Chemicals Germany with melting point of 156C and density of 0.934 g/cm3 and was used as obtained. PREPARATION OF NCS/PP BLENDS Native cassava starch (NCS) or native compatibilized cassava starch (NCCS), and polypropylene (PP) compounds were meltblended in an injection machine with a screw speed of 50 rpm and at a temperature of 160190C to obtain PP/NCS or PP/NCCS composites. The NCS or NCCS content was from 0-50 wt. % in the blends. Polypropylene-graft-Maleic Anhydride (PP-gMA) was used a compatibilizer at 10 wt. % based on the starch loadings. The melt was injected into a mould to obtain blends sheets. These sheets were oven dried for 24 hr at 70C to avoid moisture contamination, and then stored in a desiccator. SOIL BURIAL TEST Soil burial test was carried out on a laboratory scale to determine the biodegradability of the starch/PP blends. Dumb bell shaped specimens of definite sizes were cut from www.jamonline.in 531

J. Atoms and Molecules/ 3(3); 2013 / 530536 each of the blends. The soil burial test lasted for 90 days. Wet humus soil was placed in a plastics container with tiny holes at the bottom and on the side to increase aeration. The soil was kept wet with water and stored outside the room throughout the period of test. The specimens were buried in the soil at a depth of 10 cm from the surface and thus subjected to the action of microorganisms which are normally present in the soil. On expiration of burial time, the specimens were removed, washed with distilled water and dried in an oven at 700C for 24 h and then kept in a desiccator. TENSILE PROPERTIES Tensile tests were carried out for the exposed samples using a universal tensile testing machine Instron 3366, according to ASTM D638. The test on dumb bell shaped specimens of 3 mm thickness was performed at a cross-head speed of 5 mm/min at 253C. Five specimens were used to obtain the average values of the tensile properties. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: TENSILE PROPERTIES The biodegradability of native cassava starch blended with polypropylene was estimated using soil burial method. Figures 1-6 predict the biodegradation of the blends containing different amounts of starch/PP blends in soil by investigating starch removal. The figures show the tensile properties of blends of starch/PP with and without compatibilizer exposed to soil environment that lasted for 90 days. The decreases in tensile strength, elongation at break and Youngs modulus after the burial period of 90 days was determined. The decrease observed at each time point (30, 60 and 90 days) was larger with increasing NCS content in the blend. It shows that soil microorganisms consume starch and create pores in the PP matrix. This suggests that the decrease in tensile properties All rights reserved 2011

Obasi HC is predicted on the starch content, burial time and nature of polymer. The effect of polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA) on starch/PP blends was studied to evaluate the changes in tensile properties over the test period. It was observed that the decrease was lower than the uncompatibilized blends (Figures 1-6) and a similar trend was seen on calculated percent decrease in tensile strength of NCS/PP and NCCS/PP blends (Tables 1 -2) after biodegradation. This reduction may be attributed to good adhesion and compatibility between NCCS and PP matrix. The compatibilizer provides polar acid- based interactions and can bond with hydroxyl group of the natural polymers covalently (Rowell et at, 1999). However, both NCS/PP and NCCS/PP blends experienced a systematic reduction in tensile properties with increasing order of starch content and time as the soil burial progressed. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that blends of NCS and PP were successfully produced through melt processing technique. Results also revealed that the blending of NCS with PP led to loss of tensile properties. The blends showed variations in tensile properties with different levels of starch loading when subjected to soil degradation. The blends biodegradability are more pronounced than neat PP. The present study has established that blending with native cassava starch has enhanced the biodegradability of PP. REFERENCES: 1) Avella M., Erico M.E., Laurienzo P., Martuscelli E., Raimo M., and Rimedio R. (2000). Preparation and characterization of compatibilized polycarbonate/starch composites. Polym.41, 3875-3881. 2) Contat-Rodrigo L., Ribes-Greus A., DiazCalleja R.(2001). Characterization by www.jamonline.in 532

J. Atoms and Molecules/ 3(3); 2013 / 530536 thermal analysis of PP with enhanced biodegradability. J. Appl Polym Sci., 82, 2174-2184. 3) Gilead D. and Ennis (1987). In: Proc. Symp. Biodegradable plastics. SPI Washington DC p.37. 4) Gomes M.E., Ribeiro A.S., Malafaya P.B., Resis R.L. And Lunha A.M. (2004). A new approach based on injection moulding to produce biodegradable starch-based polymeric scaffolds: morphology, mechanical and degradation behavior. Biomaterials 10, 230-233. 5) McCrery V.J., Douglass D.C. and Kwei T.K. (1978). Compatibility in blends of poly (methyl methalyte) and poly

Obasi HC (styrene-co-acrylonitrile). An NMR study. Macromolecules, 11,1265-1267. 6) Ogah A.O. and Afiukwa J.N. (2012). Effects of starch blend on the mechanical properties and biodegradability of polypropylene. Continental J. Biol. Sci., 5(1), 20-25 7) Otake Y. and Ono K. (1995). Biodegradation of LDPE, PS, PVC and UF buried in the soil for 32 years. J. Polym. Sci. 56(13): 1789-1798. 8) Rosen J.J. and Schway M.B. (1980). Kinetics of cell adhesion to a hydrophilichydrophobic copolymer model system. Polym. Sci. Technol 12B, 667-686.

GRAPHS AND TABLES:

45 40 Tensile Strength (N/mm2) 35 30 25 NCS30 20 NCS60 15 NCS90 10 5 0 0 10 20 30 40 50

Starch Content (Wt. %)

Fig. 1: Tensile Strength of PP/PCS blends after the soil burial test

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J. Atoms and Molecules/ 3(3); 2013 / 530536

18 16 Elongation at break (%) 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 NCS30 NCS60 NCS90

Obasi HC

Starch Content (Wt. %)

Fig. 2: Elongation at break of buried PP/NCS blends

280 Young's Modulus(N/mm2) 270 260 250 240 230 220 NCS90 210 200 0 10 20 30 40 50 NCS30 NCS60

Starch Content (Wt. %)

Fig. 3: Youngs modulus of buried PP/NCS blends

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 10 20 30 40 50

Tensile Strength (N/mm2)

NCCS30 NCCS60 NCCS90

Starch Content (Wt. %)

Fig. 4: Tensile Strength of buried PP/NCCS blends All rights reserved 2011 www.jamonline.in 534

J. Atoms and Molecules/ 3(3); 2013 / 530536

18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0 10 20 30 40 50

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Elongation at break (%)

NCCS30 NCCS60 NCCS90

Starch Content (Wt. %)

Fig. 5: Elongation at break of buried PP/NCCS blends

300 250 Young's modulus (N/mm2) 200 150 100 NCCS90 50 0 0 10 20 30 40 50

NCCS30 NCCS60

Starch Content (Wt. %)

Fig. 6: Youngs modulus of buried PP/NCCS blends

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J. Atoms and Molecules/ 3(3); 2013 / 530536

Obasi HC

Table 1: Percent decrease in tensile strength after biodegradation of NCS/PP blends Starch content (Wt. %) 0 10 20 30 40 50 Biodegradation (% loss in tensile strength) NCS30 0.66 9.85 12.01 11.38 14.77 15.24 NCS60 1.44 16.47 19.48 15.27 15.34 19.56 NCS90 2.05 24.17 29.55 26.24 24.50 25.19

Table 2: Percent decrease in tensile strength after biodegradation of PP/NCCS blends Starch content Biodegradation (% loss in tensile strength) (Wt. %) 0 10 20 30 40 50 NCCS30 0.66 8.65 7.00 8.52 9.38 10.52 NCCS60 1.44 15.98 18.56 14.03 10.68 19.23 NCCS90 2.05 23.29 26.91 22.12 18.68 20.99

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