Study of Paperboard Material Layered with Plasticized Polyhydroxybutyrate/Nanocellulose Coatings for Packaging Application

The effect of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-based coatings combined with a plasticizer (Tributyrin,, and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) in a bilayer configuration with paperboard was investigated. PHB/paperboard composite formulations were processed by compression molding, using 15wt% of PUB with respect of paperboard. The presence of TB and CNC in the coating system favored both the interaction between layers and the enhancement of tensile properties for PHB/paperboard composites. In addition, the presence CNC in the PIM-based layer improved the water vapor permeability of bilayer composites. Disintegration in composting condition of PHB/paperboard composites was carried out according to the standard ISO 20200. The test permitted to demonstrate that all the studied samples disintegrated completely in less than 49 days of incubation.