A native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic and its preparation method and application

Abstract

The present invention discloses a primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic and its preparation method and application, relating to the field of bioplastic technology. The preparation method of the bioplastic is as follows: taking natural fiber, crushing it, adding water and stirring to form a fiber suspension; taking natural pollen to clean and remove impurities and lipids on the surface, using alkali solution for stirring treatment, washing the mixed system to neutrality and filtering to remove excess water to obtain pollen microgel; mixing the fiber suspension and pollen microgel evenly to obtain a mixed slurry; applying the mixed slurry on a mold, drying and peeling it off to obtain primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic. The primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic provided by the present invention has high mechanical strength, can be easily water-shaped and water-spliced, and has good recyclability and biodegradability; its preparation method utilizes a large amount of waste or low-value-added biomass resources, has a simple process, low production cost, and less environmental pollution.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of bioplastics, in particular to native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastics. Background Art

[0002] With the global emphasis on environmental protection, the environmental pollution caused by traditional petroleum-based plastics has become increasingly prominent. For example, plastic processing faces challenges such as high energy consumption and difficulty in recycling. Plastics are difficult to degrade naturally, causing serious damage to soil, water bodies, and ecosystems. Dispersed microplastics can enter organisms through the food chain, causing health problems. To address these challenges, there is an urgent need to develop more environmentally friendly, efficient, and sustainable plastic processing raw materials and technologies to reduce the impact on the ecological environment and human health, and promote the green transformation of the plastics industry.

[0003] In recent years, bioplastics have attracted widespread attention as an environmentally friendly alternative material due to their advantages such as wide availability of natural biomass resources, renewability, and biodegradability. However, existing bioplastics still have many shortcomings in terms of processing methods, practical performance, and cost-effectiveness, which limit their large-scale application. For example, the preparation of some bioplastics relies on high temperature and high pressure conditions, which not only consumes a lot of energy, but may also destroy the natural structure of the biomaterial and weaken its mechanical properties; others have strict requirements on the purity of the raw materials, which significantly increases production costs and process complexity, making it difficult to meet the market demand for green materials. Traditional bioplastics often have limitations such as insufficient mechanical strength, poor water resistance, and harsh degradation conditions. The degradation of many bioplastics requires specific environmental conditions (such as industrial composting facilities), and it is difficult to achieve rapid degradation in the natural environment, and may still have potential impacts on the environment.

[0004] Therefore, utilizing the advantages of natural biomass resources such as wide availability, renewability and degradability to develop a bioplastic that is simple to process, has excellent performance, is easy to promote, and has excellent mechanical properties and processability has become an important research direction in the current bioplastics field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of the above-mentioned existing technologies, the present invention provides a native biomass fiber-pollen blend bioplastic, its preparation method, and its application. This method prepares natural fibers and pollen into corresponding fiber suspensions and pollen microgels, respectively, mixes the two, and then applies them to a mold and dries them to produce a finished plastic product. This preparation method is simple, and the finished plastic product has excellent mechanical properties and recyclability, allowing for easy water shaping and splicing. It also exhibits good recyclability and biodegradability. This is achieved through the following technologies.

[0006] A method for preparing a native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic comprises the following steps:

[0007] Natural fibers are removed of impurities, crushed, and stirred with water to produce a fiber suspension with a mass fraction of 0.1-2%. Natural pollen is washed with a washing solvent to remove surface impurities and lipids. Alkali solution is then added and stirred, and the mixed system is washed until neutral, and then filtered to remove excess water, to obtain a pollen microgel with a solid content of 0.5-3%.

[0008] uniformly mixing the fiber suspension and the pollen microgel to obtain a mixed slurry;

[0009] The mixed slurry is scraped onto a template, and peeled off after drying to obtain a native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic.

[0010] Furthermore, the natural pollen is added to a washing solvent for washing at a mass-to-volume ratio of (0.1-10) g / mL, wherein the washing solvent is water, and one or more of ethanol, acetone, and ether.

[0011] Furthermore, the natural pollen is added to a washing solvent for washing at a mass volume ratio of 0.5 g / mL.

[0012] Furthermore, the alkali solution is a NaOH solution and / or a KOH solution with a mass concentration of 2-20%, and the mass volume ratio of the natural pollen to the alkali solution is (0.1-1) g / mL.

[0013] Furthermore, the alkali solution is a NaOH solution and / or a KOH solution with a mass fraction of 10%, and the mass volume ratio of the natural pollen to the alkali solution is 0.5 g / mL.

[0014] Furthermore, the mass ratio of the fiber suspension to the pollen microgel is 1:(1-9).

[0015] Furthermore, the mass ratio of the fiber suspension to the pollen microgel is 3:10.

[0016] Furthermore, the thickness of the mixed slurry scraped on the template is 1-10 mm.

[0017] Furthermore, the drying conditions after the mixed slurry is applied on the template are: drying at 25-60° C., or natural drying.

[0018] Furthermore, the natural fiber is a fiber of plant origin.

[0019] Furthermore, the plant source includes but is not limited to any one or more of cotton, bamboo, straw, and wood (the wood may be derived from any tree, such as coniferous trees or broad-leaved trees).

[0020] The pollen used in the present invention is natural pollen from any flowering plant, including but not limited to one or more of sunflower, rose, lotus, rape, corn, camellia, motherwort, pine pollen, etc.

[0021] The present invention also provides a native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic prepared by any one of the above preparation methods.

[0022] The native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic prepared by the present invention generally has a thickness of 50-200 μm; after testing, its tensile strength reaches 20-60 MPa and its elongation at break reaches 1-10%; it also has excellent recyclability and degradability.

[0023] The present invention also provides applications for the aforementioned virgin biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic. After being molded and spliced ​​using water, the virgin biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic can be used to produce packaging materials (such as food packaging, express packaging, takeout packaging, and plastic bags), paper products (such as disposable tableware and straws), film materials (such as agricultural film), coating materials, daily necessities, and textiles. This bioplastic can effectively replace traditional plastics, exhibiting significant environmental friendliness and practical value, meeting the needs of sustainable development.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention is beneficial in that:

[0025] 1. The native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic provided by the present invention makes maximum use of waste or low-value-added biomass resources, which not only avoids the environmental burden brought by plastics, effectively reduces energy consumption and environmental pollution, and improves the utilization value of biomass resources, but also effectively reduces production costs and enhances the market competitiveness of products.

[0026] 2. The bioplastic prepared by the present invention has high mechanical strength. The mechanical strength (tensile strength) of the native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic with a thickness of 100 μm and a fiber content of 30% can reach 52 MPa. It can be easily water-shaped and water-spliced, and has good recyclability and biodegradability.

[0027] 3. The preparation method of the primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic provided by the present invention has a simple process, convenient operation, and is easy to promote and apply on a large scale. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the preparation process of native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastics.

[0029] Figure 2Schematic diagram of the actual preparation process of native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic. A: Preparation of fiber suspension; B: Preparation of pollen microgel; C: Preparation of fiber-pollen blended bioplastic after fiber-pollen slurry coating and drying.

[0030] Figure 3 A diagram showing the folding and curling of the blended bioplastic prepared in Example 1.

[0031] Figure 4 These are SEM images of the surface and cross-section of the blended bioplastic prepared in Example 1.

[0032] Figure 5 The mechanical properties of the blended bioplastics with different fiber contents prepared in Examples 1-5. A: stress-strain curve; B: bar graph of tensile strength and Young's modulus.

[0033] Figure 6 These are the stress-strain curves of the blended bioplastics prepared in Examples 6-9.

[0034] Figure 7 The water processability of the blended bioplastic prepared in Example 1. Wherein, A: water shaping ability; B: water shaping ability of Examples 2-9; C: water welding ability.

[0035] Figure 8 The recyclability of the blended bioplastic prepared in Example 1.

[0036] Figure 9 The degradability of the blended bioplastic prepared in Example 1 and common plastics in natural soil environment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The technical solutions of the present invention are described clearly and completely below. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present invention, a method for preparing a primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic is provided, such as Figure 1 and 2 The specific steps are as follows: after removing impurities and rhizomes from natural fibers, crush them, add water and stir to form a fiber suspension with a mass fraction of 0.1-2%; take natural pollen and use a washing solvent to clean it to remove surface impurities and lipids, then add alkali solution and stir, wash the mixture until it is neutral, and filter to remove excess water to obtain pollen microgel with a solid content of 0.5-3%;

[0039] uniformly mixing the fiber suspension and the pollen microgel to obtain a mixed slurry;

[0040] The mixed slurry is scraped onto a template (such as a plastic plate, etc.), and peeled off after drying to obtain a native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic.

[0041] Optionally, in the above preparation method, the washing solvent is water, one or more of ethanol, acetone, and ether, and the mass-to-volume ratio of natural pollen to washing solvent is (0.1-10) g / mL. The purpose of repeatedly washing the natural pollen with the washing solvent is to remove surface impurities and lipids.

[0042] Alternatively, the alkali solution may be a NaOH solution and / or a KOH solution, with the specific concentration being adjustable based on actual conditions. Generally, a 2-20% by mass alkali solution may be selected. The purpose of the alkali solution soaking treatment is to soften the natural pollen shell and remove the cytoplasm from the natural pollen cells. Furthermore, the alkali solution may be a NaOH solution and / or a KOH solution.

[0043] Optionally, the mass volume ratio of natural pollen to the alkali solution is (0.1-1) g / mL.

[0044] Optionally, the mass ratio of the fiber suspension to the pollen microgel is 1:(1-9).

[0045] Optionally, the thickness of the mixed slurry applied on the template is 1-10 mm.

[0046] Optionally, the mixed slurry after scraping can be dried at 25-60°C or naturally dried at room temperature. The drying time can be freely determined, and it should be based on the fact that the mixed slurry can be completely peeled off from the template.

[0047] In the raw materials for the native biomass fiber-pollen blend bioplastic provided herein, the natural fibers are plant-derived fibers. Optionally, the plant fibers include, but are not limited to, cotton, bamboo, straw, and wood (the wood can be derived from any tree, such as coniferous or broadleaved trees).

[0048] The raw materials for the biomass fiber-pollen blend bioplastic provided by the present invention include natural pollen from any common flowering plant species. Plant sources of natural pollen include, but are not limited to, one or more of sunflower, rose, lotus, rapeseed, corn, camellia, motherwort, and pine pollen.

[0049] Example 1

[0050] The method for preparing the primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic provided in this embodiment comprises the following steps:

[0051] (1) Take 3 g of natural plant fiber, select and remove root impurities, add 300 mL of water, and use a homogenizer to crush it to prepare a fiber suspension with a mass fraction of 1%.

[0052] 200 g of natural pollen was added to 200 mL of water and 400 mL of ethanol and stirred repeatedly to remove impurities and lipids on the surface of the natural pollen. It was then soaked in a 10% KOH solution to remove the cytoplasm and soften the outer shell of the natural pollen particles. The solid-to-liquid ratio of the natural pollen to the NaOH solution was 0.5 g / mL. The natural pollen was then rinsed with water until neutral, and the excess water was filtered to complete the concentration, resulting in a high-viscosity pollen microgel with a solid content of 0.5-3%.

[0053] (2) The fiber suspension and pollen microgel were mixed evenly in a mass ratio of 3:10, and the excess water was removed by filtration to complete the concentration to form a mixed slurry containing fiber and natural pollen;

[0054] (3) The mixed slurry containing fiber and natural pollen is scraped onto a plastic plate with a thickness of 5 mm. The slurry is dried naturally until it can be directly peeled off to obtain a fiber-pollen blended bioplastic.

[0055] The fiber-pollen blended bioplastic prepared in this embodiment is as follows Figure 3 As shown, the SEM images of the surface and cross section of the blended bioplastics are shown in Figure 4 shown.

[0056] Examples 2-5

[0057] The preparation methods of the native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastics provided in Examples 2-5 are basically the same as those in Example 1, except for the mass ratio of the fiber suspension to the pollen microgel, as shown in Table 1 below.

[0058] Table 1

[0059]

[0060] Examples 6-9

[0061] The preparation methods of the native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastics provided in Examples 6-9 are basically the same as those in Example 1, except for the type of washing solvent used, and the type, mass concentration, and amount of alkali solution, as shown in Table 2 below.

[0062] Table 2

[0063]

[0064] Test Example: Performance Test of the Native Biomass Fiber-Pollen Blend Bioplastic Prepared in Examples 1-9

[0065] 1. Mechanical properties test

[0066] Mechanical properties are key indicators of a material's strength, toughness, durability, and reliability, directly impacting its applicability and service life in industries such as industry, construction, packaging, and healthcare. In-depth research into a material's mechanical properties can optimize its structural design and enhance key properties such as tensile strength, impact resistance, and wear resistance. Furthermore, improved mechanical properties can extend the material's service life and reduce resource waste and economic losses caused by material failure.

[0067] To investigate the strength, toughness, and durability of the fiber-pollen blended bioplastics, the blended bioplastics prepared in Examples 1-9 were subjected to tensile strength tests according to GB / T 1040-2006. A control group was also set up, in which the pollen microgel obtained in step (1) of Example 1 was directly scraped onto a plastic plate, dried, and then peeled off using the same method as in Example 1 to obtain the corresponding plastic samples. In other words, no fiber was added to the plastic samples in the control group (addition amount 0).

[0068] The experimental results are as follows Figure 5 As shown in the figure, as the fiber content increases from 0 to 30%, the strength and modulus of the fiber-pollen blend bioplastics increase significantly; when the fiber content further increases to 40% and 50%, its mechanical properties decrease. Among them, the sample with a fiber content of 30% exhibits the best mechanical properties, with a tensile strength of 52.22 MPa, a Young's modulus of 2.24 GPa, and a strain of 6.15%.

[0069] The experimental results are as follows Figure 6 As shown in the data, by changing the type of washing solvent, type, mass concentration and amount of alkali solution used in the preparation of pollen microgels, the mechanical strength and modulus of the fiber-pollen blended bioplastics remained similar, with a mechanical strength of 50-55 MPa, a Young's modulus of 2.01-2.32 GPa and a strain of 4.53-6.49%.

[0070] Mechanical property testing results show that the mechanical properties of the fiber-pollen blend bioplastic are primarily influenced by the fiber content, while variations in the pollen microgel preparation process have little impact. Specifically, when the natural fiber content in the fiber-pollen blend bioplastic is 30%, the mechanical properties of the fiber-pollen blend bioplastic are comparable to those of widely used thermoplastics and biodegradable plastics, and in some cases even surpass them.

[0071] 2. Water shaping and water splicing performance

[0072] Traditional plastic processing typically requires high temperatures, high pressures, or organic solvents, which not only consumes significant energy but also produces harmful chemicals and pollutes the environment. Materials with water-processing properties, however, can be molded and processed under mild conditions using water as a medium, significantly reducing energy consumption and environmental pollution. Water-processing offers simple and convenient operation, adapting to a wide range of shapes and sizes, improving material flexibility and production efficiency.

[0073] In order to evaluate the water shaping and water splicing properties of the fiber-pollen blended bioplastics prepared in Examples 1-9, they were immersed in water and their shaping ability, splicing ability and structural stability were observed.

[0074] The experimental results are as follows Figure 7 As shown in A-7C. Figure 7 A It can be seen that the blended bioplastic prepared in Example 1 is soaked in water. After soaking for 5 minutes, the material fully absorbs water and is softened; it can then be placed in different molds for fixed molding according to needs, such as oval, circular, square and triangular shapes. This process only requires water soaking and natural drying to achieve the molding of the material. No complex equipment or high temperature and high pressure conditions are required, and the process is simple and easy. After natural drying, the material can maintain the shape given by the mold and form a stable three-dimensional structure. The material has the characteristic of being able to be reshaped. By soaking in water again, it can be softened again and its plasticity can be restored, thereby achieving multiple molding and reuse. From Figure 7 As can be seen, the blended bioplastics prepared in Examples 2-9 all exhibit a certain degree of water-molding ability. However, differences in mechanical properties due to varying fiber content lead to slight variations in water-molding ability. This water-molding process does not consume energy or emit harmful chemicals, thus aligning with the principles of environmental protection and sustainable development.

[0075] from Figure 7 As can be seen, the present invention also provides a simple and efficient interface connection method: the interface between two separate bioplastics requires only water treatment, which softens the interface and allows the two to embed into each other. After natural drying, the two separate bioplastics are firmly bonded together. This method requires no additional adhesives or complex processes, is simple to operate, and is environmentally friendly. It significantly improves the material's usability and processability, further expanding its potential for practical applications.

[0076] The above experimental results fully demonstrate that fiber-pollen blended bioplastics can be shaped and spliced ​​in a water environment, significantly reducing energy consumption and environmental pollution.

[0077] 3. Recyclability

[0078] Plastic recycling technologies primarily include physical, chemical, and biological methods. Physical recycling, currently the most widely used, involves mechanically cleaning, crushing, melting, and reprocessing waste plastics into new plastic products. However, physical recycling is less effective for mixed or contaminated plastics, and plastic performance may deteriorate after repeated recycling. The application of recycling technologies helps reduce resource consumption, minimize environmental pollution, conserve energy, lower costs, and promote sustainable development.

[0079] In order to explore the recyclability of the fiber-pollen blended bioplastic, in this test example, the fiber-pollen blended bioplastic prepared in Example 1 was crushed and re-prepared to achieve its recycling.

[0080] The discarded fiber-pollen blended bioplastics are cut into small pieces, soaked in water and crushed and pulverized to redisperse them into a uniform fiber-pollen slurry (such as Figure 8 The slurry is then spread onto a plastic plate, dried, and peeled off to recreate the fiber-pollen bioplastic.

[0081] The above experimental results fully demonstrate that the entire recycling and remanufacturing process of fiber-pollen blended bioplastics only requires water and physical treatment, without complex equipment or chemical additives. The process is simple and environmentally friendly, and it reduces waste disposal costs and realizes efficient recycling of resources.

[0082] 4. Degradability

[0083] Traditional plastics are difficult to degrade in the natural environment, and long-term accumulation can lead to serious environmental pollution problems, such as soil degradation, water pollution, and the harm of microplastics to ecosystems. Biodegradable materials, on the other hand, can be broken down by microorganisms under natural conditions, ultimately converting them into water, carbon dioxide, and organic matter, thereby reducing their negative impact on the environment. The use of biodegradable materials not only helps alleviate the problem of plastic pollution but also reduces dependence on non-renewable resources and promotes resource recycling.

[0084] To evaluate the degradation performance of fiber-pollen blended bioplastics, this study buried polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and fiber-pollen blended bioplastic samples (BH) of the same size in a natural soil environment at a depth of 10 cm, and observed their degradation regularly.

[0085] The experimental results are as follows Figure 9 As shown in the figure, two months after the fiber-pollen blend bioplastic was buried in the soil, holes began to appear on the surface of the material. Over time, the degree of cracking gradually intensified. After six months, the material was completely degraded, with no visible fragments remaining.

[0086] Under the same experimental conditions, after 6 months of observation, the PET and PVC samples did not show any obvious signs of degradation and remained intact.

[0087] The above experimental results fully demonstrate that the fiber-pollen blended bioplastic has excellent degradation performance in the natural soil environment and can be completely degraded in a relatively short period of time, while traditional plastics (such as PET and PVC) are difficult to degrade under the same conditions.

[0088] In summary, the present invention provides a primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic, which uses natural fiber and natural pollen as raw materials, and through a simple pretreatment and mixing process, the two components are interwoven to form a dense structure with fiber as a grid and natural pollen as a matrix filling. The blended bioplastic provided by the present invention has excellent mechanical strength, water shaping and water splicing properties, recyclability and degradability, and can meet the needs of various application scenarios. This blended bioplastic not only promotes the widespread application of biomass materials in the fields of industry, packaging, medical care, etc., but also has significant practical value and promotion potential. At the same time, its environmentally friendly characteristics help promote sustainable development, reduce economic costs and meet market demand, and provide an effective solution to the problem of plastic pollution. The present invention has important scientific significance and application prospects in the fields of materials science and environmental protection.

[0089] The above specific embodiments describe the implementation of the present invention in detail, but the present invention is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments. Within the scope of the claims and technical concept of the present invention, various simple modifications and changes can be made to the technical solution of the present invention, and these simple modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Natural fibers are removed of impurities, crushed, and stirred with water to produce a fiber suspension with a mass fraction of 0.1-2%. Natural pollen is washed with a washing solvent to remove surface impurities and lipids. Alkali solution is then added and stirred, and the mixed system is washed until neutral, and then filtered to remove excess water, to obtain a pollen microgel with a solid content of 0.5-3%. The fiber suspension and the pollen microgel are uniformly mixed to obtain a mixed slurry; the mass ratio of the fiber suspension to the pollen microgel is 1:(1-9); The mixed slurry is scraped onto a mold, and peeled off after drying to obtain a native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic.

2. The method for preparing the primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic according to claim 1, characterized in that: The natural pollen is added to a washing solvent for washing at a mass-to-volume ratio of (0.1-10) g / mL. The washing solvent is water, and one or more of ethanol, acetone, and ether.

3. The method for preparing the primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic according to claim 1, characterized in that: The alkali solution is a NaOH solution and / or a KOH solution with a mass concentration of 2-20%, and the mass volume ratio of the natural pollen to the alkali solution is (0.1-1) g / mL.

4. The method for preparing the primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the mixed slurry applied on the template is 1-10 mm.

5. The method for preparing the primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drying conditions after the mixed slurry is applied on the template are: drying at 25-60° C. or natural drying.

6. The method for preparing the primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic according to claim 1, characterized in that: The natural fibers are fibers of plant origin.

7. The method for preparing the primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic according to claim 6, characterized in that: The plant sources include but are not limited to any one or more of cotton, bamboo, straw, and wood.

8. A native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic prepared by the preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. An application of the primary biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic according to claim 8, characterized in that: The native biomass fiber-pollen blended bioplastic is used to prepare packaging materials and textiles after being plasticized and spliced ​​using water.

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