Biodegradation of poly(lactic acid) and some of its based systems with Trichoderma viride

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the biodegradation of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and some plasticized PLA based systems by Trichoderma viride fungus, in liquid medium and controlled laboratory conditions. The studied systems were achieved using PLA, hydrolyzed collagen (HC) as biological macromolecules and other additives by melt processing procedure. PLA and the systems' biodegradability was examined by the weight losses of the samples (after 7 and 21 days of exposure) and FTIR-ATR, GPC, SEM analyses (after 21 fungus inoculation days). The thermogravimetry (TG-DTG) study showed that the thermostability of the samples decreased after biodegradation and was influenced by the chemical structure of the systems' components.

Keywords: Biobased composites; Biodegradation; Poly(lactic acid) systems; Trichoderma viride fungus.