Biocomposites of Polylactic Acid (PLA)/Cellulose to Generate Value-Added Products ^†

The consideration of sustainability in the plastic industry encompasses three aspects to reduce the environmental impacts generated: migration from the use of raw fossil polymers to biopolymers from renewable sources, efficient energy consumption, and greener options for final waste disposal [1]. Therefore, biocomposites could be an option to generate impact in the three aspects. The use of polilactic acid (PLA) as a polymer matrix has the potential to enable a great number of final disposal options, since PLA is considered biodegradable and compostable, but also to reduce energy consumption in processing and assure the migration to the use of biopolymers [2,3]. Although this polymer is relatively fragile, this could be interpreted as an opportunity for improvement by using cellulose as a reinforcement agent and a way to utilize by-products such as sawdust, typical waste that is not currently taken advantage of, to generate value-added products that have biodegradable characteristics whilst simultaneously displaying improved mechanical properties [4]. In this study, a biocomposite generated by reactive extrusion, combining PLA, maleic anhydride as the coupling agent, and cellulose isolated from sawdust, is created. The composite’s mechanical properties were evaluated through RSM, and the energy consumption of the process was monitored in real time, with the biodegradability of the product measured according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14855-2 [5]. Finally, as a final product, a reusable plate was created, which was then tested according to temperature and mechanical assays in order to evaluate its possible uses.