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Degradation in marine conditions of 3D-printed PLA and PLP films
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Researchers evaluated the marine biodegradability of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) and PLA modified with ionic liquids by exposing samples to seawater and using SEM, FTIR, TGA, and DSC analysis, assessing whether these materials offer viable biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastics contributing to ocean pollution.
[SPA] La acumulación de plásticos en los océanos es un problema ambiental crítico, y uno de los enfoques para abordarlo es el estudio de posibles materiales biodegradables como el PLA (ácido poliláctico). Este Trabajo de Fin de Grado tiene como objetivo evaluar la degradabilidad del PLA y del PLA modificado con líquidos iónicos en agua de mar. Para ello, se han expuesto muestras de ambos materiales a agua de mar en condiciones controladas de laboratorio. Durante el estudio, se han empleado diversas técnicas analíticas, como la microscopía electrónica de barrido (SEM), espectroscopía infrarroja por transformada de Fourier (FTIR), termogravimetría (TGA) y calorimetría diferencial de barrido (DSC), con el fin de analizar las propiedades fisicoquímicas y estructurales de las muestras a lo largo del tiempo. Las muestras han sido pesadas para registrar la pérdida de masa, lo cual es un indicador clave del grado de degradación. La combinación de estas técnicas permitirá evaluar si el PLA y el PLA modificado con líquidos iónicos presentan una degradabilidad eficiente, contribuyendo así a la búsqueda de alternativas viables a los plásticos convencionales en el contexto de la contaminación marina. [ENG] The accumulation of plastics in the oceans is a critical environmental issue, and one approach to addressing it is the study of potential biodegradable materials like PLA (polylactic acid). This work aims to evaluate the degradability of PLA and PLA modified with ionic liquids in seawater. For this purpose, samples of both materials have been exposed to seawater under controlled laboratory conditions. Throughout the study, various analytical techniques have been employed, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), in order to analyze the physicochemical and structural properties of the samples over time. The samples have been weighed to record mass loss, which is a key indicator of the degree of degradation. The combination of these techniques will allow for evaluating whether PLA and PLA modified with ionic liquids exhibit efficient degradability, thus contributing to the search for viable alternatives to conventional plastics in the context of marine pollution.
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