Author(s): Melro, Elodie ; Duarte, Hugo ; Eivazi, Alireza ; Costa, Carolina ; Faleiro, Maria Leonor ; Rosa Da Costa, Ana ; Antunes, Filipe E. ; Valente, Artur J. M. ; Romano, Anabela ; Norgren, Magnus ; Medronho, Bruno
Date: 2024
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/20407
Origin: Sapientia - Universidade do Algarve
Subject(s): Biocomposites; Bio-PBS; Poly(butylene succinate)-lignin composites; Wood residues; Levulinic acid-based solvent
Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) has been drawing attention as a reliable biodegradable and sustainable alternative to synthetic petroleum-based polymers. In this study, PBS-lignin composites were developed using a recently extracted lignin (LA-lignin) from pine wood residues employing an innovative sustainable approach. These composites were systematically compared with PBS-based composites formed with commonly used technical lignins. The molecular weight of the lignins was evaluated, along with various structural and performance-related properties. The LA-lignin/PBS composites display a remarkably low water solubility (ca. < 2%), water uptake (ca. 100 degrees). Moreover, the rigidity and thermal stability of the LA-lignin-PBS composites were higher than those of the systems formed with technical lignins. Although all composites studied present remarkable antioxidant features, the novel LA-lignin-PBS systems stand out in terms of antiadhesion activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Overall, the systematic analysis performed in this work regarding the impact of various lignins on the formed PBS composites enables a better understanding of the essential structural and compositional lignin features for achieving biobased materials with superior properties.
