Research: Improving biodegradability of polyvinyl alcohol/starch blend films for packaging applications

Researchers at the University of Wolverhampton UK blended Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with starch (S) in presence of glacial acetic acid as crosslinking agent.
The obtained results showed that the physico-mechanical properties are strongly dependent on the molecular weight and PVA content in PVA/S blends. PVA/S blend films exhibited good mechanical properties, thermal stability as compared with the pure PVA.
The results also showed enhancement in biodegradability of PVA/S blend films and particularly in moist soil. An article about the research was published in the International Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences.
Click here for the article (500 kB).

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