Food Science and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Halu Oleo University, Kendari, Indonesia.
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 5;14(1):23210. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-74226-6.
X-Ray micro-computed tomography (XCT) is used to reveal the micro-structural changes of banana pseudostem nanocellulose bioplastic due to a biodegradation process initiated in a formulated composting media that allowed the growth of aerobic microflora. The bioplastic itself was made of nanocellulose, which was isolated from banana pseudostem using the 2,2,6,6-Tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) mediated oxidation method, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as plasticiser. XCT provided insights into the 3D structural change of the bioplastic identifying the degradation process at two scales. The results showed that the local thickness and roughness of the bioplastic increased after degradation, while the density of the material decreased. Enlarged voids and tunnels were observed in the material after degradation. The formation of these tunnels is attributed to the popping of internal PEG-containing voids because of the generation of gases, which after forming may further accelerate biodegradation by microbial activity.
X 射线微计算机断层扫描（XCT）用于揭示香蕉假茎纳米纤维素生物塑料的微结构变化，该生物塑料由于在配方堆肥介质中引发的生物降解过程而发生变化，该介质允许好氧微生物的生长。生物塑料本身由纳米纤维素制成，纳米纤维素是使用 2,2,6,6-四甲基-1-哌啶氧基（TEMPO）介导的氧化法从香蕉假茎中分离出来的，并用聚乙二醇（PEG）作为增塑剂。XCT 深入了解了生物塑料的 3D 结构变化，在两个尺度上确定了降解过程。结果表明，生物塑料的局部厚度和粗糙度在降解后增加，而材料的密度降低。降解后观察到材料中出现了较大的空隙和隧道。这些隧道的形成归因于内部含有 PEG 的空隙因气体的产生而爆裂，形成的气体可能通过微生物活动进一步加速生物降解。
