Abstract

PAOLA, Gutiérrez,; DAMARIS, Costales,  and  VLADIMIR, Valle,. Preparation and Characterization of Biocomposites Based on Corn Wastes and Vinyl Acrylic Copolymer. Rev Politéc. (Quito) [online]. 2025, vol.55, n.1, pp.7-16. ISSN 2477-8990.  https://doi.org/10.33333/rp.vol55n1.01.

The global management and final disposal of corn cob wastes (CCW) present a significant challenge due to not only high waste volume generation but also to underutilization in high-value-added products. From the perspective of material development, the characteristics of CCW make them suitable as reinforcements in composites with a polymeric matrix. Therefore, this study aims to prepare and characterize biocomposites with CCW reinforcement in a vinyl acrylic copolymer (VAC) matrix. In doing so, CCW underwent grinding, followed by sieving into two particle sizes (2.00 and 1.18 mm), and was then blended with VAC resin. The resulting mixture was pressed at 80 and 120 °C, yielding sheets with a thickness of 2.05 ± 0.05 mm. Statistical analysis revealed that tensile characteristics are influenced by the interaction between particle size and processing temperature. Furthermore, the mechanical behavior results demonstrated a notable increase in the modulus of elasticity compared to VAC alone. Reinforcements (2.00 mm) exhibited higher ductility, whereas a temperature of 120°C increased the rigidity of the obtained composites. Additionally, thermal and spectroscopy (functional groups) evaluations were performed. Scanning differential calorimetry revealed an increase in the glass transition temperature of VAC, while thermogravimetric analysis showed a decrease in the kinetics of CCW thermal decomposition reactions. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed a higher presence of VAC. In general, these findings suggest robust matrix-reinforcement interactions, signifying a protective role of the matrix, and effective coating and impregnation within the reinforcements.

Keywords : Corn; corn cob; biocomposite; vinyl acrylic copolymer.

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