caa a22 4500 467886598 CHVBK 20180406152736.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170328e20060601xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10924-006-0012-9 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10924-006-0012-9 Photo-/Bio-degradability of Agro Waste and Ethylene-Propylene Copolymers Composites Under Abiotic and Biotic Environments [Elektronische Daten] [A. Kumar, Jitendra Pandey, Bijendra Kumar, R. Singh] Composites were prepared by two methods, (i) graft copolymerization (GFC) of isotactic polypropylene (PP) with maliec anhydride, (MAH) followed by esterification with coir fiber and (ii) by direct reactive mixing (DFC) of polypropylene (PP) and ethylene-propylene (EP) copolymers with MAH and peroxide with coir fiber. These composites, after molding in films (5×5cm, $$\sim100\,\mu$$ m thickness) were examined for susceptibility to biological attack by measuring the percentage weight loss in compost upto 6months, periodically, and fungal colonization on surface of the samples, when kept as sole carbon source for the growth of Aspergillus niger in culture medium upto 40days. Photodegradation was evaluated by monitoring the variations in FT-IR spectrum and crack formation after successive treatment with UV light (≥290nm) for 0, 20, 50 and 100h at 60°C in the presence of air. Specimens of virgin PP were taken as a reference during all period of photo and biodegradation studies. Significant changes were observed depending on the preparation methods during photodegradation and biodisintegration of composites. DFCs samples were disintegrated faster than GFCs during the composting whereas, in culture, GFCs were covered highly in well uniform way by fungi. It was observed that photo-oxidative ageing directly enhanced the biodegradability of composites as the increase in fungal growth rate and decrease in weight during composting were found. It was concluded that extent of compatibilization had a profound effect on photo-oxidation and biodisintegration of composite material; consequently ester bonds were main units during fungal consumption. Composition of monomers in copolymers was also showing significant effect on the degradability which decreased with increasing content of ethylene in ethylene-propylene (EP) copolymers. Springer Science+Business Media, Inc., 2006 Ethylene-propylene copolymers nationallicence Composites nationallicence Photo-degradation nationallicence Biodegradation nationallicence Biodisintegration and composting nationallicence Kumar A. Division of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhaba Road, 411 008, Pune, India aut Pandey Jitendra Division of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhaba Road, 411 008, Pune, India aut Kumar Bijendra Division of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhaba Road, 411 008, Pune, India aut Singh R. Division of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhaba Road, 411 008, Pune, India aut Journal of Polymers and the Environment Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers; http://www.springer-ny.com 14/2(2006-06-01), 203-212 1566-2543 14:2<203 2006 14 10924 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-006-0012-9 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-006-0012-9 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Kumar A. Division of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhaba Road, 411 008, Pune, India aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Pandey Jitendra Division of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhaba Road, 411 008, Pune, India aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Kumar Bijendra Division of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhaba Road, 411 008, Pune, India aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Singh R. Division of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhaba Road, 411 008, Pune, India aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Journal of Polymers and the Environment Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers; http://www.springer-ny.com 14/2(2006-06-01), 203-212 1566-2543 14:2<203 2006 14 10924 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer