SOIL BURIAL DEGRADATION OF POLYBUTYLENEADIPATE-CO-BUTYLENETHEREPHTHALATE FILMS AND CALCIUM CARBONATE NANOCOMPOSITES

Biodegradable polymers usually have cost and mechanical properties that are not competitive with the traditional plastic materials they aim to replace. These limits can be improved using particulate mineral fillers. Several studies have been carried out assessing the filling and modification of nanosized CaCO3, particularly in biodegradable polyesters and their blends. However, studies in the literature have been limited and mainly focused on polylactide and its blends. In this work, we studied the chemical-physical changes induced by soil burial degradation of a poly(butyleneadipate-co-butylenetherephthalate) (PBAT) sample, processed via melt extrusion with 2 (PBAT-2%) and 5%wt (PBAT-5%) of CaCO3 nanoparticles.