Enzyme-treated Wheat Straw-based PVOH Bio-composites: Development and Characterization

• Published in: Bioresources Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 2830 - 2845
• Main Authors: Ahmad, Zanib, Bajwa, Muhammad Asgher, Iqbal, Hafiz M. N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: North Carolina State University 01.05.2017
• Subjects: Ligninolytic enzymes; Biofibres; Bio-composites; Delignification; Compression molding
• ISSN: 1930-2126; 1930-2126
• DOI: 10.15376/biores.12.2.2830-2845

Valorization of lignocellulosic waste residues in the development of potential biodegradable composites has been of recent research interest. Recent research has shown that wheat straw can be used as a reinforcement material for the synthesis of novel polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH)-based composites. However, certain pretreatment methodology needs to be used for the selective removal of the lignin component. The de-lignification of native wheat straw was performed using an in-house isolated ligninolytic consortium. The bio-composites were developed using the de-lignified wheat straw along with PVOH as the matrix phase and glycerol as a plasticizer via a compression molding technique. In this study, a structural analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) showed that the enzymatic treatment led to noticeable changes in the chemical structure of the materials used. A dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of the composites revealed an increase in the tensile strength of the sample from 46.1 MPa ± 0.1 MPa to 53.0 MPa ± 0.9 MPa, upon the addition of the plasticizer. Also, there was a noticeable increase in the tensile modulus of composites from 2,130 MPa to 4,520 MPa, respectively. Topographical features of the newly synthesized PVOH-based bio-composites were observed using scanning electron microscopy.