Open Access

ARTICLE

Design and Characterization of Biocomposites from Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and Buriti Petiole (Mauritia flexuosa)

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1 Minas Gerais State University - UEMG, Department of Materials, Technologies and Processes, School of Design, Avenida Antônio Carlos, 7545, Belo Horizonte-MG, Brazil
2 Department of Materials Engineering, Federal University of Itajubá – UNIFEI, Rua Irmã Ivone Drumond, 200 - Distrito Industrial II, Itabira - MG, Brazil
3 Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais – UFMG, Av. Pres. Antônio Carlos, 6627 - Pampulha, Belo Horizonte - MG, Brazil
4 Mechanical Department, Minas Gerais Federal Institute – IFMG, Av. Michael Pereira de Souza, 3007, Avenue - Campinho - Congonhas - MG, Brazil

*Corresponding author:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2017, 5(3-4), 251-257. https://doi.org/10.7569/JRM.2017.634115

Abstract

Buriti or miriti (Mauritia flexuosa) is a palm tree found in the Brazilian cerrado. Herein buriti petiole, part of the trunk that supports the leaves, was ground and used without any treatment as low density load to prepare poly(lactic acid) biocomposites. X-ray microtomography of buriti petiole showed its porous structure, with a wide pore size distribution determined with the aid of SEM. The obtained biocomposites with 1, 5 and 10 wt% of buriti petiole particles were investigated by their sessile drop contact angle, FTIR, TGA and tensile test. The tensile properties indicated poor adhesion between phases, which is crucial to optimize the biocomposite’s performance. Further studies with fiber treatment are being planned.

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