SONGKLANAKARIN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Volume 42, No. 02, Month MARCH, Year 2020, Pages 321 - 328

Processing properties and biodegradation of cassava starch cushion foam effects of kaolin content

Supranee Kaewpirom and Kamolnate Sungbuakaew

Abstract Download PDF

This study aims to alter the drawbacks of starch-based foam that include poor mechanical properties and high water absorption. Biodegradable cassava-starch cushion foams were prepared successfully by compression. Kaolin was selected as a reinforcing agent as well as a water resistance additive. All of the prepared foams showed a smooth and dense outer surface with high open-cell content inside. Elongation at break of the foams decreased (from 7.1 to 2.6%), while the bending modulus increased from 66 to 112 MPa with increasing kaolin content from 0 to 15 phr. The melting temperature and the glass transition of the foam decreased from 156 to 150 °C and from 62 to 60 °C, respectively, after the addition of kaolin at 15 phr. At 100% RH, the addition of 15 phr of kaolin could reduce the equilibrium moisture content of the foam by 22% and the foam can be assimilated into the environment within a short period of time.

Keywords

cassava starch, starch-based foam, cushion foam, kaolin, biodegradation

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