Large Sized Biomass Filler to Enhance Soil Burial Degradation of PBAT-Based Composites

Two types of poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT)-based composites with large-sized biomass fillers, reed and jute, were fabricated to carry out soil burial degradation. Through the detection of mass loss, surface morphology, flexural strength, chemical structure, and crystallization behavior during different degradation stages, the impact of large biomass fillers on the properties of PBAT-based composites was revealed. During the entire degradation process, the large-sized biomass filler had a strong capability to produce high mechanical properties and induce fast degradation. PBAT/reed-60%, with the length and width of reed at ∼2050 μm and ∼660 μm, showed the highest degradation rate of over 8% after 150 days of soil burial degradation, which is twice as high as that of PBAT/jute-60%. It can also retain its flexural strength and flexural modulus at 13.2 MPa and 599 MPa after degradation. These results demonstrate the important role of large-sized biomass fillers in enhancing the mechanical properties and environmental degradation of PBAT-based composite materials. Accordingly, an important strategy and theoretical basis for creating high-performance PBAT/biomass filler composites were established.