Open Access
ARTICLE
A Comparative Investigation of the Biodegradation Behaviour of Linseed Oil-Based Cross-Linked Composites Filled with Industrial Waste Materials in Two Different Soils
Eglė Malachovskienė1,*, Danguolė Bridžiuvienė1, Jolita Ostrauskaitė2, Justina Vaičekauskaitė2, Gailė Žalūdienė3
1
Biodeterioration Research Laboratory, Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, LT-08412, Lithuania
2
Department of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, LT-50254, Lithuania
3
Laboratory of Bedrock Geology, Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, LT-08412, Lithuania
* Corresponding Author: Eglė Malachovskienė. Email:
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: Bio-based/Degradable Materials towards A Sustainable Future)
Journal of Renewable Materials 2023, 11(3), 1255-1269. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2022.023574
Received 06 May 2022; Accepted 18 July 2022; Issue published 31 October 2022
Abstract
The biodegradation of polymeric biocomposites formed from epoxidized linseed oil and various types of fillers
(pine needles, pine bark, grain mill waste, rapeseed cake) and a control sample without filler was studied during
180 days of exposure to two types of forest soil: deciduous and coniferous. The weight loss, morphological, and
structural changes of polymer composites were noticed after 180 days of the soil burial test. The greatest weight
loss of all tested samples was observed in coniferous forest soil (41.8%–63.2%), while in deciduous forest soil, it
ranged between 37.7% and 42.3%. The most significant changes in the intensities of the signals evaluated by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy, as well as morphological changes determined by scanning electron
microscopy, were assessed for polymer composite with rapeseed cake and specimen without filler in coniferous
forest soil and are in a good agreement with weight loss results. Whereas significantly lower changes in weight
loss, morphology, and structure of polymeric film with pine bark were noticed in both soils. It was suggested that
fungi of
Trichoderma,
Penicillium,
Talaromyces and
Clonostachys genera are the possible soil microorganisms that
degrade linseed oil-based cross-linked polymer composites. Moreover, the novel polymer composites have the
potential to be an environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum-based mulching films.
Keywords
Cite This Article
Malachovskienė, E., Bridžiuvienė, D., Ostrauskaitė, J., Vaičekauskaitė, J., Žalūdienė, G. (2023). A Comparative Investigation of the Biodegradation Behaviour of Linseed OilBased Cross-Linked Composites Filled with Industrial Waste Materials in Two Different Soils.
Journal of Renewable Materials, 11(3), 1255–1269.