Tobacco is one of China's key economic crops, known for its wide distribution, high yield, and renewability. Tobacco stalk fibers (TSFs) share a similar chemical composition to wood fibers, making them a potential reinforcement for plant fiber composites. However, the waste tobacco stalk fibers raw material utilization rate is very low, and wasteful phenomenon is very serious. In this study, we prepared biodegradable TSF/PBAT composites using waste tobacco stalk fibers and polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) through melt blending and injection molding techniques. The effects of different modifiers on the performance of the composites were systematically investigated, with a particular focus on their influence on the degradation behavior. The results showed that the waste tobacco straw fiber can be used as a reinforcing fiber for PBAT. The addition of modifiers significantly improved the mechanical properties of the composites and effectively slowed down the degradation rate in the soil environment. Among the modifiers, the combined use of maleic anhydride (MA) and hydroxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (OM) produced the best results, with the tensile strength and flexural strength of the composite reaching 17.3 MPa and 28.0 MPa, respectively-representing increases of 74.7% and 57.3% compared to the untreated composite. After 16 weeks of soil degradation, the mass loss rate of the MA/OM-modified composite decreased from 10.50 to 6.34%. This study provides a comprehensive exploration of the entire lifecycle of TSF-reinforced PBAT composites and offers important theoretical support for the resource utilization and value-added application of waste tobacco stalks in the field of green composite materials.

This study presents a novel approach to address the current issue of plastic waste in the biosphere, which poses ecological hazards and threatens living beings. Herein, a set of biodegradable composites has been developed through the melt blending of polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) and rice husk (RH), aiming to discover effective surface modification techniques for enhancing mechanical properties while maintaining biodegradability above 90%. This research studied the diverse surface treatment methodologies applied to raw RH, including alkaline, acetylation, and silane treatments. The novelty of this study lies in its focus on evaluating how these treatments distinctly influence the mechanical properties and biodegradability of RH. Additionally, it seeks to understand the underlying mechanisms driving these performance changes. To further improve the compatibility between hydrophobic PBAT and hydrophilic RH, a compatibilizer such as maleic anhydride (MAH) was added. A range of analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), tensile testing, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), contact angle measurement, and soil burial test, was employed to investigate the biodegradability of the composites. The results indicate that the PBAT/Silane RH/MAH composite exhibited exceptional mechanical properties, with a tensile strength of 22.49 MPa, a strain at break of 41.83%, and Young's modulus of 187.60 MPa. Furthermore, the composites developed exhibited 90% mass loss during a six-month soil burial test, confirming their remarkable biodegradability. The findings present an innovative and practical solution for utilizing RH waste in a wide range of applications, particularly in the production of molded products such as straws.

This study explores the valorisation of alum sludge, a byproduct of water treatment processes, as a sustainable reinforcement material in Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) composites. The research aims to address industrial waste challenges by developing eco-friendly composite materials while promoting circular economy principles. Alum sludge particles, classified into two size distributions (<63 m and <250 m), were incorporated into PBAT matrices at varying concentrations. The composites were characterised for their mechanical, thermal, crystallographic, and moisture adsorption properties; and their biodegradation behaviour was evaluated through soil burial tests over 60 days. The results revealed that the 63 mu m particle size fraction exhibited superior performance compared to the 250 mu m fraction, demonstrating improved mechanical properties, reduced degradation rates, and enhanced interfacial bonding. Composites with 5 wt.% alum sludge achieved a balance between reinforcement and processability, outperforming the other filler concentrations examined. This innovative approach highlights the potential of upcycling alum sludge into functional materials, advancing sustainable waste management and composite manufacturing. Furthermore, the observed variation in degradation rates suggests that these composites can be tailored for applications requiring controlled compostability.

This study investigates the incorporation of thermoplastic starch (TPS) into polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) to create biodegradable plastic wraps for pathological waste burial in soil. TPS is added to PBAT to enhance biodegradability, as PBAT alone degrades slowly. The research examines the mechanical properties, biodegradation, morphology, and swelling behaviour of the blends. Key tests include xenon arc light exposure for accelerated aging, a formalin swelling test for permeability, and soil degradation analysis for weight loss. Results show that adding TPS significantly reduces tensile strength (65.53%) and elongation at break (93.35%), but the material still effectively serves its purpose as a wrapping for pathological waste. Morphological analysis reveals phase separation, and UV exposure further decreases tensile strength by 27.6%. The highest TPS composition (30TPS/70PBAT) shows the fastest mechanical degradation, indicating accelerated biodegradation. Despite minimal formalin absorption (16% within 1 day), the blends prevent formalin leaching, making them suitable for pathological waste containment.

Biodegradable plastics offer a promising alternative to traditional plastics in agriculture, particularly where rapid and controlled degradation is required. This study investigates the properties and degradation behavior of blends of Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate (PBAT) and Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA). Mechanical testing revealed that incorporating PVA significantly enhanced both tensile and flexural strengths. For example, pure PBAT had a tensile strength of 14.51 MPa, while the 20PBAT/80PVA blend achieved 53.48 MPa. However, higher PVA content led to reduced elongation at break and fracture toughness. Water immersion tests showed that PVA dissolution and PBAT degradation caused notable reductions in mechanical properties after 5 days, with blends containing 80 % PVA exhibiting an 80.1 % weight loss, and the 40PBAT/60PVA blends showing a 41.75 % weight loss after 30 days. Soil degradation experiments confirmed that the degradation rate increased with higher PVA content. These results highlight the superior degradation performance of PBAT/PVA blends and demonstrate that adjusting the PVA content effectively modulates both degradation rates and mechanical properties. This offers valuable insights for the development of environmentally friendly materials.

Polylactic acid/polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate blend (PLA/PBAT) has been widely used due to their good biodegradation. Recently, the biodegradation of PLA and PBAT has received increasing attention. However, PLA/ PBAT blend-degrading strains have been rarely reported in comparison to that for pure PLA and PBAT. A fungus strain, Papiliotrema laurentii S2P4P, was isolated from agricultural soils and identified. S2P4P can efficiently degrade commercial PLA/PBAT films at 30 degrees C in mineral salt medium (MSM) and obtained about 14% of weight loss within 30 days of incubation. Additionally, rough and uneven surface of PLA/PBAT film with cracks and creases, increased hydrophilicity, changes in mechanical property, and decreased intensity of C=O and C-O bonds were observed after S2P4P treatments. The strain secreted esterase to catalyze the degradation of the ester bonds in PLA/PBAT blend, resulting in the production of degradation products such as butanediol, adipic acid, lactic acid and terephthalic acid as well as their oligomers. Furthermore, as carbon and energy sources, the degradation products could participate in the metabolism of S2P4P and then accelerate degradation of PLA/ PBAT blend. The advantages of P. laurentii S2P4P in simultaneous degradation of PLA and PBAT indicated that the strain has potential value for the bioremediation of PLA/PBAT blend in the actual environment.

Biodegradable thermal insulation foams are drawing widespread attention due to the growing environmental pollution and thermal energy waste. Polymer-based foams characterized by flexibility, recyclability, and excellent thermal insulation, hold immense promise for application domains aimed at decreasing thermal energy waste. Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) has been widely employed in terms of its superior mechanical properties and acknowledged biodegradability. However, owing to the poor foamability and inherent shrinkage of PBAT, it is still challenging to prepare high-performance PBAT foams with excellent thermal insulation. Herein, the biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) crystalline particles were introduced into the PBAT matrix. High mechanical strength and recyclable multifunctional PBAT foams were prepared by the physical foaming process. The presence of PCL can improve the crystallization and promote the formation of open-cell structures. Thanks to the heterogeneous nucleation and special open-cell structure, the achieved PBAT/PCL foam shows ultralow density (0.04 g/cm(3)), restricted shrinkage ratio (<5%), enhanced thermal insulation capacity (32.5 mW/mK), and good hydrophobicity (106.0 degrees). More importantly, compared with other degradable polymer foams, PBAT/PCL foam shows superior degradation ability in soil. Our method offers a novel alternative for producing environmentally friendly, recyclable, multifunctional thermal insulation foams, without the worries regarding biodegradability that are linked with nondegradable materials.

Polyglycolic acid (PGA) and poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), as widely applied biodegradable polymers, the degradation behavior of their blends in marine environments has not been proven. This study investigated the changes of macroscopic and microscopic morphology, thermal properties, crystalline and chemical structure, degradation rate of PGA/PBAT blends with different ratios in the simulation marine environment containing sediments and marine organisms. The results showed that degradation primarily occurred due to ester bond breakage, and PGA exhibited a faster degradation rate than PBAT films. The amorphous region degraded more rapidly than the crystalline region, and the thermal stability of the materials decreased. The degradation of PGA and PBAT blends followed their respective single degradation laws and the compatibility of blend samples decreased after degradation. The degradation rate of the samples was obtained by measuring the biochemical oxygen demand, which indicated that a higher PGA content could result in a faster degradation rate for PGA/PBAT films. This study provides an efficient method for constructing materials with controlled biodegradability.