The effect of different epoxidised vegetable oils on injection-moulded starch based thermoplastic polymer filled with almond shell powder

This article is focused on the development and characterization of biodegradable and eco-friendly biocomposites, based on starch thermoplastic polymer (TPS) filled with 20 wt% almond shell powder (ASP). Three epoxidised vegetable oils (EVOs) were added at 5, 10 and 20 parts per hundred resin (phr) of TPS/ASP biocomposite, as additive, to study the effect in the properties of injected biodegradable parts: epoxidised soybean oil (ESBO), epoxidised linseed oil (ELO) and epoxidised corn oil (ECO). The biocomposites are prepared in a twin-screw extruder and characterized in terms of their mechanical (tensile and Charpy impact tests) and thermal properties (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)). In addition, disintegration tests were evaluated. Results showed the addition of EVOs successfully reduced the stiffness and brittleness produced by the incorporation of almond shell, whereas thermal stability increased. The addition of EVOs had a stabilising effect on the disintegration of the biocomposites. The most optimal performance was attained for biocomposites with ELO or ESBO between 10-20 phr.