Desenvolvimento de embalagem biodegradável à base de PLA e casca de cenoura

Abstract

The increasing use of plastic packaging and the negative impact of its improper disposal,e saturation of landfills and dumps, led to the development of biodegradable packaging. In this case, waste disposal has become a critical issue for building an environmentally friendly society. Considering the increasing pressure of limited resources and environmental safety, biodegradable polymers may be a promising way to ease the pressure to dispose of plastic waste. Generally, biodegradable polymers are biopolymers derived from renewable resources, such as saccharides, glycolipids, lipopolysaccharides, proteins and polyhydroxyalkanoates. The most important biodegradable polymers used in national research are polylactic acid – PLA, polyhydroxyalkanoates–PHA, starch polymers – PA, xanthan gum –Xan.Poly (lactic acid) - PLA is a polymer widely used in packaging studies, since it is environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and compostable, but there are some disadvantages in its properties. The improvement of these properties, using mixtures of peels and seeds, has shown satisfactory results and can be a strategy for the reduction of food residues waste. In this context, the goal of this work was to develop biodegradable packaging based on PLA and carrot peel, aiming at the reuse potential food waste, where the biodegradation of polymeric packaging is a crucial factor. The samples were prepared with 0, 5, 10, 15 and 25 w / w% of carrot peel in PLA. PLA / carrot peel degradation was investigated in four different media: acid, basic, water and composted soil. The results show that the samples in aqueous medium maintained almost the same weight as the initial one, in acidic and basic medium there was mass gain, while in fertilized soil they showed significant mass loss. The results in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and infrared by Fourier transform (FTIR), showed that there was a decrease in the porosity of the PLA when adding the carrot and little adherence of the carrot to the PLA matrix. The mechanical resistance increased with the increase in the percentage of carrots in the PLA.