Tailoring P(3HB-co-3HV) Properties by Post-Production Blending

• Autor(es): Viana, Jorge M. P. ; Matos, Mariana ; Hilliou, L. ; Reis, Maria
• Data: 2025
• Identificador Persistente: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/97287
• Origem: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
• Tipo de Documento: Póster em conferência
• Idioma: Inglês
• Contribuidor(es): Universidade do Minho

Descrição

[Excerpt] Introduction: Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are promising biopolymers for replacing less eco friendly polymers, although their price is still higher. PHAs can be produced via mixed microbial cultures (MMC) from carbon-rich waste to reduce costs; however, this process has challenges due to the variability in waste composition and seasonality [1]. The most common PHA copolymer produced from wastes by MMC is the poly(3- hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) - P(3HB-co-3HV). The properties of these semi-crystalline copolymers can be adjusted by varying their 3-hydroxyvalerate (3-HV) monomer content. The increase of this comonomer in the copolymer leads to a decrease of the melting temperature, crystallinity, and brittleness, thereby improving flexibility and processability. However, controlling this composition during production is difficult, especially when using variable waste substrates [1]. Objective Tailor the properties of P(3HB-co-3HV) after production by blending copolymers with different approaches and 3-HV grades, without relying on strict control during the bioproduction. The objective of this study is to compare the thermal, mechanical, semi-crystalline structure, and viscoelastic properties of the resulting blends to those of biologically produced polymers with the same target composition. [...]