Janas, Neil Carlo M.

ENG 10 T

Production and Characterization of Thermoplastic Starch Reinforced with Acetylated and

Virgin Kraft Lignin

Background of the Study

Plastics are the most practical polymers in global scale which can be found in industries

such as packaging, automotive, and construction (Schulze, Juraschek, Herrmann, & Thiede,

2017). However, conventional plastics including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), or

polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are non-biodegradable materials which are the leading cause of

carbon footprint emissions and waste accumulation (Rivero, Hu, Kwan, Webb, Thedoropoulos,

Daoud & Lin, 2017, Emadian, Onay & Demirel, 2017). In 2015, more than 300 million tons of

plastics are annually produced, whereas 93% of 34-million-ton plastic wastes are found in oceans

and landfills (Emadian et al., 2017). Additionally, conventional plastics are derived from fossil

fuels which are nonrenewable. Fossil fuel reserves are depleting due to plastic production, thus,

attempts on replacing them with biomass lead to the production of bioplastics (Brodin, Vallejos,

Opedal, Area & Chinga-Carrasco, 2017).

Bioplastics are polymeric materials derived from renewable resources which can either

be biodegradable or non-biodegradable (Rivero et al., 2017). Among the two, biodegradable

bioplastics are more desired; thus, researches on materials with both properties are conducted

including the utilization of starch. Although starch is commonly found in corns, wheats, and

crops, it is also used as feedstock for industrial applications especially in nonfood materials such

as adhesives and textiles. Furthermore, earlier reports on starch-based bioplastic showed its poor
mechanical properties; yet, starch is still used as raw materials on research for bioplastics due to

its abundance and low cost (Glenn, Orts, Imam, Chiou, & Wood, 2014).

Starch is a natural polysaccharide composed of amylose which is a linear molecule and

with α-1,4 linkages and amylopectin which is branched and linked with α-1,6. Naturally, starch

does not melt; yet, melting is essential in plastic processing. Hence, starch is mixed with

plasticizer, and then processed under high temperature and shear stress which yields a

thermoplastic starch (Lopez, Ninago, Lencina, Garcia, Andreucetti, Ciolino & Villar, 2015).

Mechanical properties of thermoplastic starch can be based on amylose content, crystallinity,

glass transition temperatures, and plasticizer types. High amylose content corresponds to good

mechanical properties, b-type crystallinity corresponds to film stiffness, while high glass

transition temperature results to brittle starch films. Among the plasticizers used, glycerol is

widely used because it prevents film crackling due to mechanical and thermal stress (Nguyen Vu

& Lumbudwong, 2016).

As mentioned, starch is used as raw material for research on bioplastic production

regardless of the resulting poor mechanical properties. In fact, studies conducted included

fabrication of thermoplastic starch via different processing methods, as well as fabrication of

thermoplastic starch blends and composites (Fahrngrube, Siakkou, Wimmer, Kozich &

Mundigler, 2017; Can & Ozkoc, 2017; Edhirej, Sapuan, Jawaid, Zahari & Sanyang, 2017). In the

Philippines, research starch-based plastics are still in progress. Various studies were conducted

such as reinforcement with cellulose nanocrystal, blending with polybutylene succinate, and

reinforcement of abaca fibers to fabricate thermoplastic starch blends and composites (Agustin,

Ahmmad, Alonzo & Patriana, 2014; Tuates, 2016; Vasquez & Diaz, 2017).
 A drawback for using starch as raw material for bioplastic production is its susceptibility

to water which leads to degradation (Glenn, Orts, Imam, Chiou, & Wood, 2014). Therefore,

studies were conducted such as the incorporation of filler which is hydrophobic in nature and

compatible with starch (Koh, Zhang & He, 2018).

In this study, starch will be reinforced with acetylated and virgin Kraft lignin.

Lignocellulosic materials (i.e. wood) have constituents with potential as raw material for

bioplastic production including lignin (Brodin et al., 2017). Lignin is a complex molecule

consisting of phenylpropanoid units which served as adhesives in woods. Annually, 50 million

tons of lignin are being produced worldwide, while 98% of lignin is reused as energy source in

pulp and paper industry. Excessive generation of Kraft lignin signals its potential valorization

into value-added products. Moreover, lignin can be chemically modified prior to its

reinforcement with polymer matrix for enhanced mechanical and thermal properties, as well as

compatibility with other polymers (Ken & Pukánszky, 2017; Laurichesse & Avérous, 2014).
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