Development and Characterization Of Poly(Lactic Acid)(Pla)/ Guinea corn (Sorghum Bicolor) Husks Particulate (Ghp) Composites.
ABSTRACT
The and characterization of poly(lactic acid)(PLA)/guinea (Sorghum bicolor) husks particulates (GHP) composites as biodegradable or composites were investigated to serve as an to the conventional polymers which are non-degradable and are used for short term periods before discarding.
The GHP was treated with hydroxide (NaOH) solution, 3- Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APS), and a combination of both treatments but the PLA was blended with Biomax Strong 100 and Polyethylene glycol (PEG) as impact modifiers.
Four formulations of the composites were produced by firstly melt mixing using extrusion and pelletizing before injection molding.
The GHP was characterized by density measurement, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The composites produced were characterized by density measurements and mechanical testing such as tensile, impact, hardness, and flexural tests.
INTRODUCTION
Synthetic polymeric materials have been extensively used globally because of their excellent chemical, physical and mechanical properties. Therefore, they have various forms and serve in many roles which make it almost impossible to imagine just one day without them (Gouda et al., 2012; Obasi, 2012).
Their versatility is the reason for their use in a wide range of applications such as packaging, structural (building materials), transportation, electrical components, biomedical and consumer products.
The multiuse of plastics is due to their unique capability to be manufactured to meet very specific functional needs for consumers as well as being cheap, not susceptible to loss of strength when wet and they improve product protection. (Lee, 2007; Pilla et al., 2007). Plastics are prevalent in almost every human activity.
However, their expansion in use has become a source of concern due to their negative impact on the environment especially where they are used for a short period of time before discarding (Lee, 2007; Gouda et al., 2012).
Plastics waste, especially plastics packaging that floats or litter the oceans, rivers, seas, and lakes is a major threat for birds, fish, and other animals in those habitats (Lee, 2007; Pilla et al., 2007).
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StudentsandScholarship Team.