Adaptando bioplásticos a la tecnología de envasado: mezclas basadas en PHA para mejorar la termoconformabilidad

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and its copolymers with valerate (PHBV) are bacterial polyesters of polyhydroxyalkanoate family well-known in academia and industry for being a 100% biodegradable and compostable thermoplastic. Despite their excellent barrier properties for food packaging, their industrial application is still hindered by some drawbacks such as the poor thermoformability and their intrinsic brittleness. Thermoforming is one of the most widespread techniques to obtain many of the rigid packaging products (i.e. trays, cases or containers) due to its high throughput rate and the shape versatility. In order to broaden the narrow processing window and to enhance the mould reproducibility of PHB/PHBV, blends and compounds with other polymers and additives were developed by melt blending. The use of elastomeric and amorphous biodegradable polymers such as thermoplastic polyurethane or polylactic acid, and additives were assessed. The prototypes obtained were evaluated using the edge-corner-thickness visual method developed by the group in previous works