Utilization of By-Products from Livestock: Study on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Biodegradable Containers Made with Pork Skin Gelatin Polymer
Sol-Hee Lee; Hack-Youn Kim
This study aimed to develop a biodegradable container made of pork gelatin. Gelatin was extracted from pork skin by hot water at 80 °:C, and containers were prepared by adding eggshell powder (20%) as a pore agent, and walnut powder (0.08 wt%: PEW1, 0.14 wt%: PEW2) to improve hardness. The blends were molded for each experiment and dried at 30 °:C for 24 h, at 40 °:C for 16 h, and at 121 °:C for 16 h. The containers were analyzed with respect to morphological (SEM: scanning electron microscope), mechanical (tensile strain and stress), and thermal (DSA: differential scanning calorimetry and TGA: thermogravimetric analysis) properties, as well as biodegradability. SEM investigation showed a smoother surface for PEW1 than for PEW2. The tensile stress of PEW2 (37.86 MPa) was significantly higher than that of PEW1 (28.40 MPa), and the melting enthalpies were 137.60 J/g (PEW1) and 309.60 J/g (PEW2). TGA showed similar properties, but PEW2 contained more lignin: therefore, its decomposition temperature was higher. The PEW1 and PEW2 containers were completely biodegraded after approximately 7 and 11 weeks, respectively. Walnut shell powder increased the hardness, but slowed the biodegradation process. The applications of this biodegradable container are short-lived products such as food packaging.
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