An Overview on the Mechanical Behaviour of Biodegradable Agricultural Films

The mechanical behavior of various types of biodegradable materials depends, mainly, on their chemical composition and the application conditions. Various additives are added into the bioblends to improve their properties, which sometimes even reach the levels of the conventional plastics. It is well known that the environmental conditions during production, storage, and usage of these materials influence their mechanical properties. Ageing during the useful lifetime also causes great losses in the elongation. In the present paper, the overall mechanical behavior of biodegradable films, which may be considered suitable for agricultural applications, but also of partially biodegradable films, is reviewed and analyzed. Selected critical mechanical properties of films before their exposure to biodegradation are investigated and compared against those of conventional agricultural films.

[1]  S. Huang,et al.  Polycaprolactone degradation by mixed and pure cultures of bacteria and a yeast , 1983 .

[2]  D. Briassoulis,et al.  Degradation and stabilization of low-density polyethylene films used as greenhouse covering materials. , 2000 .

[3]  A. S. Bawa,et al.  Mechanical and barrier properties of edible starch–protein-based films , 2003 .

[4]  Taka-aki Kato,et al.  Amphiphilic biodegradable copolymer, poly(aspartic acid-co-lactide): acceleration of degradation rate and improvement of thermal stability for poly(lactic acid), poly(butylene succinate) and poly(ε-caprolactone) , 2003 .

[5]  Nuri Akkaş,et al.  Use of xylan, an agricultural by-product, in wheat gluten based biodegradable films: mechanical, solubility and water vapor transfer rate properties. , 2003, Bioresource technology.

[6]  K. Itoh,et al.  Degradation of an acylated starch-plastic mulch film in soil and impact on soil microflora , 2002 .

[7]  T. Chakrabarti,et al.  Preparation and characterization of biodegradable poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-starch blend films. , 2003, Bioresource technology.

[8]  J. Cho,et al.  Ultraviolet reflective and mechanical properties of polyethylene mulching films , 2001 .

[9]  Luc Avérous,et al.  Properties of Biodegradable Multilayer Films Based on Plasticized Wheat Starch , 2001 .

[10]  H. Ismail,et al.  Mechanical properties of sago starch-filled linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) composites , 2001 .

[11]  H. E. Haeder.  Amyloplastenentwicklung und Stärkesynthese in Samen von Futter‐ und Markerbsen , 1991 .

[12]  Daehan Kim,et al.  Preparation and characterization of modified starch‐based plastic film reinforced with short pulp fiber. II. Mechanical properties , 2003 .

[13]  Dan Gilead,et al.  Degradable polymers : principles and applications , 1995 .

[14]  Demetres Briassoulis,et al.  Adaptation and harmonisation of standard testing methods for mechanical properties of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films , 2001 .

[15]  C. Vaca-Garcia,et al.  Biodegradable films from isolate of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) proteins. , 2000, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[16]  E. Pavlidou,et al.  Processing and characterization of LDPE/starch/PCL blends , 2002 .

[17]  T. Iwata,et al.  Mechanical properties and highly ordered structure of ultra-high-molecular-weight poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] films: Effects of annealing and two-step drawing , 2003 .

[18]  Ferdinand Rodriguez,et al.  Microbial degradation of polyesters: Polycaprolactone degraded by P. pullulans† , 1974 .

[19]  J. Lemaire,et al.  Environmental biodegradation of polyethylene , 2003 .

[20]  E. Martuscelli,et al.  Preparation and characterisation of compatibilised polycaprolactone/starch composites , 2000 .

[21]  I. M. Thakore,et al.  Studies on biodegradability, morphology and thermo-mechanical properties of LDPE/modified starch blends , 2001 .

[22]  I. Jakubowicz.  Evaluation of degradability of biodegradable polyethylene (PE) , 2003 .

[23]  N. Hettiarachchy,et al.  Degradation behavior of soy protein-wheat gluten films in simulated soil conditions. , 2000, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[24]  Chitosan,et al.  Chitin in Nature and Technology , 1986, Springer US.

[25]  P. Degée,et al.  Synthesis and characterization of compatibilized poly(ε-caprolactone)/ granular starch composites , 2001 .

[26]  J. Ratto,et al.  Structure and properties of starch/poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) blown films , 1997 .

[27]  E. Chiellini,et al.  Biodegradation of thermally-oxidized, fragmented low-density polyethylenes , 2003 .

[28]  M. Mateescu,et al.  Structure-properties relationship in cross-linked high amylose starch cast films , 2002 .

[29]  R Langer,et al.  Bioerodible polyanhydrides as drug-carrier matrices. I: Characterization, degradation, and release characteristics. , 1985, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research.

[30]  Y. Doi,et al.  Biosynthesis and characterization of a new bacterial copolyester of 3-hydroxyalkanoates and 3-hydroxy-.omega.-chloroalkanoates , 1990 .

[31]  T. Fukumura.  Two bacterial enzymes hydrolyzing oligomers of 6-aminocaproic acid. , 1966, Journal of biochemistry.

[32]  John R. Mitchell,et al.  Processing, performance and biodegradability of a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester/starch system , 1999 .

[33]  E. Reese.  Biological Degradation of Cellulose Derivatives , 1957 .

[34]  Costas Panayiotou,et al.  Processing and characterization of starch/polycaprolactone products , 2002 .

[35]  Tomoo Suzuki,et al.  Hydrolysis of polyesters by lipases , 1977, Nature.

[36]  V. Bisaria,et al.  6-Aminohexanoic acid cyclic dimer hydrolase. A new cyclic amide hydrolase produced by Achromobacter guttatus KI74. , 1977, European journal of biochemistry.

[37]  G. Ziegler,et al.  Spherulitic crystallization of starch: influence of botanical origin and extent of thermal treatment , 2003 .

[38]  U. Ishiaku,et al.  Mechanical properties and enzymic degradation of thermoplastic and granular sago starch filled poly(ε-caprolactone) , 2002 .

[39]  R. Reis,et al.  PROCESSING AND IN VITRO DEGRADATION OF STARCH/EVOH THERMOPLASTIC BLENDS , 1997 .

[40]  Y. Nishio,et al.  Cellulose diacetate-graft-poly(lactic acid)s: synthesis of wide-ranging compositions and their thermal and mechanical properties , 2003 .

[41]  F. Otey,et al.  Starch-Filled Polyvinyl Chloride Plastics-Preparation and Evaluation , 1974 .

[42]  A. M. Kaplan,et al.  Fungal susceptibility of polyurethanes. , 1968, Applied microbiology.

[43]  S. Guilbert,et al.  Properties of chemically and physically treated wheat gluten films. , 2000, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[44]  C. M. Buchanan,et al.  Compostability of cellulose acetate films , 1994 .

[45]  J. Hosokawa,et al.  Biodegradable film derived from chitosan and homogenized cellulose , 1990 .

[46]  Julious L. Willett,et al.  Mechanical properties of LDPE/granular starch composites , 1994 .

[47]  Y. Tokiwa,et al.  Hydrolysis of copolyesters containing aromatic and aliphatic ester blocks by lipase , 1981 .

[48]  R. Reis,et al.  Chemical modification of starch based biodegradable polymeric blends: effects on water uptake, degradation behaviour and mechanical properties , 2000 .

[49]  R. Marchessault,et al.  Stereoregularity in synthetic -hydroxybutyrate and -hydroxyvalerate homopolyesters , 1989 .

[50]  M. Malinconico,et al.  Preparation and characterisation of composites based on biodegradable polymers for “in vivo” application , 2000 .