Of the 300 million metric tons of plastics produced annually only 10% are recycled, with over 50% being single-use products. Many of the products that make their way into our landfills and oceans are not biodegradable polymers; as a result, they contribute to society’s growing plastic pollution problem. Through the introduction of truly biodegradable polymers as substitutes for common plastics such as Polyethylene (PE), we can aim to use waste as a carbon source for these polymers and decrease pollution from traditional plastics.<br/>Polyhydrobutyrates (PHBs) are a family of polyesters which can be prepared both biologically, by using microorganisms such as cyanobacteria, and chemically by using the reaction between a diol and dicarboxylic acid. Through the introduction of monomers such as poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and poly-3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV), biodegradable plastics can be manufactured for different applications. These biodegradable plastics perform similarly to common plastics used daily. To further understand the manufacturability and applications of PHBs, we introduced a series of additives to change the density and mechanical response of these materials.<br/>Through these studies, the manufacturing limitations and processes are further understood. Following the production of the polymer samples, the thermal, chemical and mechanical properties of these materials are studied using a wide range of techniques such as tensile tests, stress-strain tests, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and infrared spectroscopy. This work can serve as a foundation for future mechanical studies on PHB biopolymers and composites to identify suitable applications.

Applications of polyhydroxybutyrate based composites

ACS Fall 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.