ACUERDOS DE ADMISIÓN A COTIZACIÓN Y NEGOCIACIÓN

Khaliq Majeed, Azman Hassan and Aznizam Abu Bakar

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015

K. R. Hakeem et al. (eds.), Agricultural biomass based potential materials, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-13847-3_7

A. Hassan () · K. Majeed · A. A. Bakar

Enhanced Polymer Research Group (EnPRO), Department of Polymer Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM, 81310 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia e-mail: [email protected]

K. Majeed

Department of Chemical Engineering, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract The past few years have witnessed a renewed interest in developing new

ecofriendly materials, sparked mostly by the nonbiodegradability of most of the polymeric materials. In this context, incorporation of biofibres as load-bearing con- stituents in polymeric composites is a highly attractive research line for the devel- opment of ecofriendly composites. An experimental study, with the overall aim of making environmentally compatible packaging film, was conducted to investigate the influence of rice husk (RH) loading on morphological, tensile, oxygen barrier and biodegradation properties of low-density polyethylene (LDPE)-based extrusion blown films. Various compositions were prepared with varying contents of RH and the properties were correlated with the loading of RH. Morphological observations revealed that there were micro-voids at interface and the RH particles start agglom- erating beyond 5 wt%. The tensile, tear and oxygen barrier properties decreased as the loading of RH increased. Soil burial tests revealed that the composite films are biodegradable and RH loading has significant impact on rate of biodegradation.

Keywords Composite film · Blow film · Tensile strength · Oxygen barrier ·

144 K. Majeed et al.

Introduction

Film is the largest market segment for polyolefin and is extensively used for food- stuff and goods packaging, agriculture and merchandising (Mezghani and Furquan

2012; Zhong et al. 2007a). Among other polyolefin, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is a high-performance thermoplastic having good film-forming proper- ties. It has a prominence over other polyolefin in flexible films because of its high flexibility, easy processability, extensibility, easy-to-seal ability, impact toughness, stress crack resistance, microwavability, recyclability, high resistance to moisture and fair gas barrier properties (Zhong et al. 2007b). In fact, exploitation of these unique properties has made LDPE extremely useful to mankind, and it is the widely used polymer for film packaging. Like most of the other petroleum-based plastics, LDPE is also nondegradable and this nonbiodegradability is the cause of many environmental problems associated with its disposal, including damage to the envi- ronment and ecosystem, water supplies, sewer systems as well as to the rivers and streams.

Environmental concerns related to the use of nonbiodegradable fossil fuel-based plastics and their increasing costs have propelled interest in the development of bio- composites (Ahmad Thirmizir et al. 2013; Butylina et al. 2013; Nahar et al. 2012). Composite materials composed of one or more phase(s) derived from a biological origin are considered as biocomposites (Fowler et al. 2006; Haq et al. 2008). The prospective benefits of biocomposites are derived from the properties of the natural fibres. Natural fibres are susceptible to microorganisms and their biodegradability is one of the most promising aspects of their incorporation in polymeric materials. Among others, their renewability, abundance, lower cost, environmental friendli- ness and relative non-abrasiveness for the processing machinery have made natu- ral fibres an attractive candidate for reinforcement of polymers (Ahmad Thirmizir et al. 2013; Ismail et al. 2013). These biocomposites are being used in large num- ber of applications, including but not limited to automotive, building and furniture industries (Butylina et al. 2013; Ihamouchen et al. 2012). However, their strong hydrophilic behaviour made using natural fibre-reinforced composites is less attrac- tive. Moisture ingress may impair mechanical properties as well as facilitate fungus growth that can assist the degradation of composites (Ahmad Thirmizir et al. 2013). Most of the renewable materials are based on the agricultural residues as a source of raw material, particularly to plastic industries. Development and progression in these bio-based materials will not only benefit ecosystem but also would lead to economic development for farming and rural areas in developing countries, owing to non-food commercial applications of these underutilized renewable materials.

Rice husk (RH) is one of the widely available agricultural industrial residue materials. It would always be removed and separated from rice grain during the rice milling. The main components of RH are cellulose (25–35 %), hemicellulose (18–21 %), lignin (26–31 %) and silica (15–17 %). Cellulose is found in the cell wall of lignocellulose materials as microfibrils embedded in the non-cellulosic ma- trix, which is mainly formed by hemicellulose and lignin (Luduena et al. 2011). Besides these structured main components, some other nonstructural components,

145 Tensile, Oxygen Barrier and Biodegradation Properties of Rice …

like waxes, pectin, inorganic salts and nitrogenous salts, are also present (Fowler et al. 2006). Like many other agricultural by-products, the industrial applications of this biomass are very limited with little economic value. It is reported that for every ton of rice produced, about 0.23 tons of RH is formed. As a consequence of large production of rice, millions of tons of RH are produced every year. The continuous generation of the RH may present a major disposal problem because of its limited commercial applications. Currently, this mass is being used as bedding material for animals and burned for power generation. Literature review indicated that there is a lack of investigations on the effect of natural fibres-reinforced polymeric composite films and their durability against moisture exposure. Moreover, the performance properties of LDPE/RH biocomposite films have seldom been reported. Therefore, this study focuses on the fabrication of RH/LDPE composite films using extrusion blown film machine.

The objectives of this study are to explore the possibility of incorporating RH as biodegradable filler in manufacturing composite films based on LDPE matrix. The resulting films were characterized by tensile, barrier and biodegradation properties. One of the main concerns of using natural fibres is their high hydrophilic behaviour which ultimately affects the overall properties of the composites. Thus, the effect of prolonged moisture exposure on the tensile properties was also investigated. An attempt has been made to correlate the results of performance properties of the films with RH loading.