Poly(butylene succinate)-based composites with technical and extracted lignins from wood residues

• Main Author: Melro, Elodie
• Publication Date: 2024
• Other Authors: Duarte, Hugo, Eivazi, Alireza, Costa, Carolina, Faleiro, Maria Leonor, Rosa Da Costa, Ana, Antunes, Filipe E., Valente, Artur J. M., Romano, Anabela, Norgren, Magnus, Medronho, Bruno
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/20407
• topic: Biocomposites; Bio-PBS; Poly(butylene succinate)-lignin composites; Wood residues; Levulinic acid-based solvent

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) has been drawing attention as a reliable biodegradable and sustainable alternative to synthetic petroleum-based polymers. In this study, PBS-lignin composites were developed using a recently extracted lignin (LA-lignin) from pine wood residues employing an innovative sustainable approach. These composites were systematically compared with PBS-based composites formed with commonly used technical lignins. The molecular weight of the lignins was evaluated, along with various structural and performance-related properties. The LA-lignin/PBS composites display a remarkably low water solubility (ca. < 2%), water uptake (ca. 100 degrees). Moreover, the rigidity and thermal stability of the LA-lignin-PBS composites were higher than those of the systems formed with technical lignins. Although all composites studied present remarkable antioxidant features, the novel LA-lignin-PBS systems stand out in terms of antiadhesion activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Overall, the systematic analysis performed in this work regarding the impact of various lignins on the formed PBS composites enables a better understanding of the essential structural and compositional lignin features for achieving biobased materials with superior properties.