Radiation modification of the properties of polypropylene/carboxymethyl cellulose blends and their biodegradability

Polypropylene (PP)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) blend films were prepared by changing content of CMC in the range of 0–20 wt%. Different analytical techniques such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), mechanical test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate some selected properties such as thermal properties, tensile strength, elongation and morphology. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed to identify the chemical structure of the prepared blend films. The blend film with composition PP/15 wt% CMC was selected due to its modified properties rather than other blends. The properties of original and irradiated PP/15 wt% CMC blend were investigated. It was found that the swelling behaviour is slightly increased with increasing CMC content and does not exceed 7%. It is observed that for PP/15 wt% CMC as irradiation dose increases the mechanical property (tensile strength) is enhanced up to 10 kGy and water resistant increases. The prepared PP/CMC with different concentration blends and the selected irradiated PP/15 wt% CMC blend with different doses 0, 5, 10 and 20 kGy were subjected to biodegradation in soil burial tests for 6 months using two different types of soils, namely, agricultural and desert soils. The properties of original PP/CMC blends and irradiated PP/15 wt% CMC blend that undergo biodegradation were investigated by mechanical test and SEM. From the study it can be concluded that there is a possibility of using PP/15 wt% CMC blend film irradiated to 10 kGy as a potential candidate for packaging purpose. Graphical Abstract (a) PP/ CMC 15 wt % irradiated by 20 kGy after burial test in Agricultural soil and (b) PP/ CMC 15 wt % irradiated by 20 kGy after burial test in desert soil.