Aging by burial in soil of polylactic acid biocomposites reinforced with Alfa fiber treated with dispersing agent

Abstract

Soil burial test comprises of placing samples in soil/ compost for long durations and testing the mechanical properties/dimensional changes/ morphology before and after soil burial. In a bioreactor, samples are placed in a composting vessel containing a mixture of compost and the percentage of biodegradation is theoretically calculated by measuring the amount of CO2 evolved from the composting vessel for a period of 45 days. This present work is focused on the study of the durability of different PLA/Alfa biocomposite materials treated with BYK W-980 and untreated, prepared via burial in soil aging. The study of biodegradation by burial in soil showed that the biodegradability of biocomposites prepared with untreated and treated PLA/Alfa degrade in soil more than those prepared with BYK W-980 for the same burial conditions. Knowing that the PLA buried in the ground is biodegradable after 4 to 5 years, by consecrating in this time interval of burial, we only have the fibers which degrade.