TY - JOUR
T1 - Sustainable Approach for Mechanical Recycling of Poly(lactic acid)/Cellulose Nanocrystal Films
T2 - Investigations on Structure-Property Relationship and Underlying Mechanism
AU - Dhar, Prodyut
AU - Rajesh Kumar, M.
AU - Bhasney, Siddharth Mohan
AU - Bhagabati, Purabi
AU - Kumar, Amit
AU - Katiyar, Vimal
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - This paper presents a green and sustainable route for mechanical recycling of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) based films multiple times, which results in enhanced thermal, rheological, and structural properties along with improved processability. Recycling of reactively extruded PLA/CNC films in the presence of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) was carried out with sulfuric and hydrochloric acid hydrolyzed CNCs (CNC-S and CNC-Cl). This shows improved thermal stability (improved by 12 °C), consistent Mw characteristics (180-150 kDa), and enhanced melt strength as evident from the thermal degradation studies and viscoelastic properties measured from rheological studies. The improved recyclability of PLA/CNC films was evident from enhanced complex viscosity and storage modulus of melt by ∼4 and 10 times along with increased mechanical strength of ∼16-30% even after the third recycling. Therefore, the present study provides a novel route to recycle PLA-based CNC films after their service life into value-added biodegradable products with adequate properties competitive enough to replace petroleum-based conventional plastics for commodity applications.
AB - This paper presents a green and sustainable route for mechanical recycling of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) based films multiple times, which results in enhanced thermal, rheological, and structural properties along with improved processability. Recycling of reactively extruded PLA/CNC films in the presence of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) was carried out with sulfuric and hydrochloric acid hydrolyzed CNCs (CNC-S and CNC-Cl). This shows improved thermal stability (improved by 12 °C), consistent Mw characteristics (180-150 kDa), and enhanced melt strength as evident from the thermal degradation studies and viscoelastic properties measured from rheological studies. The improved recyclability of PLA/CNC films was evident from enhanced complex viscosity and storage modulus of melt by ∼4 and 10 times along with increased mechanical strength of ∼16-30% even after the third recycling. Therefore, the present study provides a novel route to recycle PLA-based CNC films after their service life into value-added biodegradable products with adequate properties competitive enough to replace petroleum-based conventional plastics for commodity applications.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85055279714&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acs.iecr.8b02658
DO - 10.1021/acs.iecr.8b02658
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85055279714
VL - 57
SP - 14493
EP - 14508
JO - Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
JF - Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
SN - 0888-5885
IS - 43
ER -