Selection of starch for eco-friendly packaging
2020 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
A biocomposite made of cellulose fibers and starch is tested for an application in packaging. Different starches are compared with potato starch that is currently used. Tensile, compression, 3-point bending and falling dart tests are performed in order to compare the mechanical properties of the packaging obtained with each starch. The viscosity of the suspension used in injection molding is also a relevant parameter that is measured. Then, the color measurement is also interesting to be analysed and the tray density has to be verified. The results showed that pea starch gives the highest mechanical properties. However, the suspension viscosity obtained with pea starch and the yellow pigmentation observed on the trays present some problems. A high viscosity complicates the manufacturing and decreases the yield production. Furthermore, the yellow pigmentation of pea starch makes it difficult to obtain white trays. However, tapioca starch gives better mechanical properties than potato starch but also a very low viscosity of the suspension and a color close to the one obtained for potato starch. Furthermore, when the product absorbs less moisture from the environment, the mechanical properties are better. When adding less water in the recipe, tapioca starch shows even better properties and a viscosity of suspension that is always relatively low. However, the gelatinization process that happens when starch is heated in presence of water provides lighter trays with lower mechanical properties. Making trays of the same density for all starches by adding different amount of water in the recipe show that the properties do not depend so much on the starch. Finally, using the suspension of biocomposite few days after its preparation does not have any important consequence on the product final properties.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2020. , p. 77
Keywords [en]
starch, cellulose, packaging, biobased, eco-friendly, biodegradable, renewable
Keywords [fr]
amidon, cellulose, emballage, biosourcé, biodégradable, renouvelable
National Category
Materials Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-79587OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-79587DiVA, id: diva2:1441258
External cooperation
PaperFoam
Educational program
Materials Engineering, master's level (120 credits)
Supervisors
Examiners
2020-06-292020-06-152020-06-29Bibliographically approved