Abstract—Bagasse is considered to be a by-product after milling process of sugarcane stalk. In the study, sugarcane bagasse was used as filler in the composite which based on the poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and the polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). A three-variable and three-level experimental design, including the levels of sugarcane bagasse content, the levels of maleic anhydride contents, and screw speed, was chosen for finding out the relationship between variables and the responses. Test samples were to investigate of their thermal properties by using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis and biodegradation test. The results demonstrated that the melting point (Tm) of extruded pellets ranged from 157.61°C-168.40°C as well as the decomposition temperatures (Td) which ranged from 242.02°C-249.73°C. The melting point and decomposition temperatures of the composite have been influenced by maleic anhydride contents. In biodegradability analysis according to Chinese National Standards (CNS) 14432 regulations, the biodegradability of the extruded pellets reached 72.8% after 32 days and 83.3% after 45 days, respectively. 
 

Index Terms—extrusion technology, biodegradable plastic pellets, thermal properties

Cite: Jinchyau Peng, Chia-Yang Wu, Li-Jhen Jheng, and Wai-Bun Lui, "Biodegradable Pellets Based on Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)/Poly (vinyl alcohol)/Sugarcane Bagasse: Thermal and Biodegradable Propert," International Journal of Food Engineering, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 84-89, December 2016. doi: 10.18178/ijfe.2.2.84-89