PLA based nanocomposites with Cellulosic and Lignocellulosic nanofibers as a biodegradable solution for green food packaging

The HIPERION project aims at the sustainable production of various types of nanocellulose, such as microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), cellulose nano-fibrils (CNF), nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC), for the development of high-performance industrial materials for green food packaging, paper packaging, adhesives and wood coatings. In that manner, different types of cellulosic and lignocellulosic fibers (i.e., CNF and LCNF received from University of Maine and API-Europe respectively), after freeze drying at -50 oC, were incorporated to PLA (grade 3052d from NatureWorks) by melt blending at various concentrations with or without the incorporation of the crosslinking agent Dicumyl Peroxide (1% or 3% wt.). The final films were produced after melt pressing. Thermal treatment on samples containing the peroxide initiator has been shown to crosslink PLA and also graft chains to cellulosic fibers (Wei et al., 2016). The chemical composition and structure of the produced films were studied via Raman spectroscopy (μRaman T-64000), IR transmission (FTIR/IR) and Reflectance (ATR/IR) measurements (Bruker Alpha II), while their thermal and thermomechanical properties were studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC Q100) and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA 850). The suitability of the final products is performed by a release study of different molecular entities migrating through the polymer matrices in EU certified food simulants, using certified methodologies (i.e., UV/VIS, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy SERS, etc.) and specially designed cells/devices.