Investigation of the influence of plasticizers on the biodegradability of cellulose acetate

Abstract In order to evaluate the biodegradability of the cellulose acetate (CA) films plasticized with different concentrations of glycerol (GLY) or triethyl citrate (TEC), analysis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) were conducted through 180 days. Throughout the analysis, indicators of plasticizer exudation were observed, including changes in visual appearance and mass loss, ranging from 39.141% and 20.663% (first day) up to 0.524% and 0.488% (last day) for TEC and GLY plasticizer based films, respectively. Changes were also noted in the infrared spectrum, and TGA plots with polymer degradation peaks from 332.09 to 400.96 cm −1 for both plasticizers based films (TEC and GLY, respectively), regardless of the day of analysis. All assays revealed plasticizer losses, but there was no evidence of films' biodegradation during the experimental time. In perspective, this systematic approach can be extended to study other polymers and other biodegradation conditions.