Melt-blown compostable polyester films with lignin

Abstract

Compostable films for such uses as packaging and agricultural soil covering materials were first produced on commercial scale from blends of biodegradable polyesters and a modified kraft lignin. The lignin consisted of an industrial product isolated according to the LignoBoost process. The lignin modification involved homogeneous phase reaction with propylene oxide, and the films were melt-blown from a pelletized compound consisting of up to a 30% blend of lignin derivative with commercial biodegradable polyester. The 12–93 μm thick films combined the characteristics of lignin as modulus-building and environmentally degradable polymer with those of the strength-building thermoplastic polyester. Although the modified lignin paralleled the behavior of native lignin in wood by resisting rapid and full conversion to carbon dioxide in a simulated composting environment, two thirds of the film mass biodegraded within 12 weeks of composting, with the remainder turning into (humus-like) water-soluble solids and particles <2 mm in size. The lignin derivatives suffered from the release of trace amounts of malodorous volatiles containing reduced sulfur when subjected to melt-blowing. The objectionable odor was virtually unnoticeable in injection-molded solid parts.