Production of starch/poly(lactic acid) sheets containing citric acid and tributyl citrate

Resumo

In this work thermoplastic starch and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) sheets added of tributyl citrate (TBC) and citric acid was produced by flat extrusion (calendaring-extrusion). The incorporation of TBC and citric acid reduced the rigidity, increased the water vapor permeability (WVP) and density of the sheets. This occurred probably because these compounds acted as plasticizer for PLA and starch. Thus, it was possible to conclude that it was possible to produce starch and PLA blended sheets by extrusion, but studies are still required to find the appropriate concentration of TBC and citric acid that does not significantly impair the water vapor barrier properties.