Biodegradation behavior of two different chitosan films under controlled composting environment

Abstract

Chitosan has applications in different industries, due to the superior properties, causing an increase in the production of chitosan containing waste. Although composting is the most suitable method for biodegradable wastes like chitosan, less is known about the degradation of chitosan within the composting environment. In this study, biodegradation behavior of bare chitosan films and neutralized chitosan films were investigated under controlled composting environment according to international standards. CO₂ emission data showed higher degradation rate of bare chitosan films compared with neutralized chitosan films, which was also supported by SEM images and digital photographs in addition to the TGA and FTIR results. It can be concluded that the biodegradation rate of chitosan films under the composting environment is highly related to the amount of glycerol present in the films and the extraction rate of glycerol from film structure.

Keywords

• Biodegradation,Biopolymer,Chitosan,Composting

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