Effect of Rice Straw on the Mechanical and Biodegradability Properties of the Poly (Polyethylene-G-Acrylic Acid)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31643/2026/6445.28Keywords:
Polyethylene, acrylic acid, rice straw, biodegradable, mechanical, sustainability.Abstract
A polyethylene/acrylic copolymer was synthesized using a grafting technique with benzoyl peroxide as a catalyst and xylene as a solvent. Acrylic acid (AA) was grafted onto polyethylene (PE) in a 1:5 ratio. The resulting grafted copolymer, characterized by FTIR, was blended with rice straw at varying percentages of 3%, 5%, and 7% to produce biodegradable films. The properties of these films in water were evaluated through analyses of viscosity, tensile strength, elongation at break, water contact angle, and solubility. Incorporating rice straw enhanced the grafted copolymer's biodegradability, resulting in increased viscosity, tensile strength, and elongation at break of the films, while reducing the water contact angle and solubility. However, incorporating 7% rice straw in the grafted copolymer-based on PE (1.0%) and AA (5.0%) resulted in increases in viscosity, tensile strength, and elongation at break by 29.5%, 46.1%, and 9.6%, respectively, while reducing the contact angle and biodegradability solubility time at 45°C by 25.8%.
Downloads
References
Ghatge S, Yang Y, Ahn JH, et al. Biodegradation of polyethylene: a brief review. Appl Biol Chem. 2020; 63(27):1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13765-020-00511-3
Amzan Alsabri, Furqan Tahir, Sami G. Al-Ghamdi. Environmental impacts of polypropylene (PP) production and prospects of its recycling in the GCC region, Materials Today: Proceedings. 2022; 56(4):2245-2251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.11.574
Samy M, Bekbayeva L, Mohammed A, Irmukhametova G, Zhetpisbay D, Majeed N, Yermukhambetova B, & Mun G. Overview of biodegradable polymers: synthesis, modification and application. Kompleksnoe Ispolzovanie Mineralnogo Syra = Complex Use of Mineral Resources. 2024; 332(1):19-31. https://doi.org/10.31643/2025/6445.02
Iskalieva A, Orazalin Z, Yeligbayeva G, Irmukhametova G, Taburova S, & Toktar T. Synthesis of Biodegradable Polymer-Based on Starch for Packaging Films: A Review. Kompleksnoe Ispolzovanie Mineralnogo Syra = Complex Use of Mineral Resources. 2023; 329(2);110-130. https://doi.org/10.31643/2024/6445.22
Kim R, Laurens D, Kevin VG, Mechanical and chemical recycling of solid plastic waste. Waste Management. 2017; 69:24-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.07.044
Amzan A, Sami GA. Carbon footprint and embodied energy of PVC, PE, and PP piping: Perspective on environmental performance, Energy Reports. 2020; 6(8):364-370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2020.11.173
Bornali B, Heena K, Sachin RG. Bioremediation strategies for xenobiotic degradation in petroleum-impacted industrial ecosystems: Practical challenges and future directions. Journal of Water Process Engineering. 2025; 70:106877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2024.106877
Irmukhametova G, Al Azzam KM, Mun GA, Bekbayeva L, Dinara Z, Yermukhambetova BB, Nechipurenko SV, Efremov SA, Negim E-S, Samy M. Obtaining and Characterization of Biodegradable Polymer Blends Based on Polyvinyl Alcohol, Starch, and Chitosan. Polymers. 2025; 17;479. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17040479
Jyothi AN. Starch Graft Copolymers: Novel Applications in Industry. Composite Interfaces. 2010; 17(2-3):165-174. https://doi.org/10.1163/092764410X490581
Das A, Ringu T, Ghosh S, et al. A comprehensive review on recent advances in preparation, physicochemical characterization, and bioengineering applications of biopolymers. Polym. Bull. 2023; 80:7247-7312. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-022-04443-4
Gulzhakhan Y, Khaldun M A, Galiya I, Lyazzat B, Orazalin ZK, Asylzat I, El-Sayed Negim, Bounoua N. The Effect of Calcium Carbonate, Rice, and Wheat Straw on the Biodegradability of Polyethylene/Starch Films. Polymer Crystallization. 2024, 8674988.
Pan M-Z, Mei C-T, Zhou X-B, Pu Y-L. Effects of Rice Straw Fiber Morphology and Content on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Rice Straw Fiber-High Density Polyethylene Composites. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 2011; 121:2900-2907. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.33913
ASTM D882; Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Thin Plastic Sheeting. ASTM International (ASTM): West Con- shohocken, PA, USA, 2018.
Brian CS. The infrared spectra of polymers II: Polyethylene. Spectroscopy. 2021; 36(9):24-29.
Alfuhaid L, Al-Abbad E, Alshammari S, Alotaibi A, Malek N, Al-Ghamdi A. Preparation and Characterization of a Renewable Starch-g-(MA-DETA) Copolymer and Its Adjustment for Dye Removal Applications. Polymers (Basel). 2023; 15(5):1197.
Skalieva A, Yesmurat M, Al Azzam KM, Ainakulova D, Yerbolat Y, Negim E-S, Ibrahim MNM, Gulzhakhan Y. Effect of Polyethylene Glycol Methyl Ether Methacrylate on the Biodegradability of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Starch Blend Films. Polymers. 2023; 15:3165. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15153165
Mieles M, Harper S, Ji H-F. Bulk Polymerization of Acrylic Acid Using Dielectric-Barrier Discharge Plasma in a Mesoporous Material. Polymers. 2023; 15:2965. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15132965
Nho Y-C, Park J-S, Lim Y-M. Preparation of Poly(acrylic acid) Hydrogel by Radiation Crosslinking and Its Application for Mucoadhesives. Polymers. 2014; 6:890-898. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym6030890
Elleithy RH, Ali I, Ali MA, et al. High density polyethylene/micro calcium carbonate composites: A study of the morphological, thermal, and viscoelastic properties. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 2010; 117(4):2413-21.
Junjun L, Chanjuan J, Chunxia H. Rice Straw and Cornstarch Biodegradable Composites. AASRI Procedia. 2012; 3:83-88, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aasri.2012.11.015
Olzhabay AT, Urkimayeva PI, Kenessova ZA, Yespenbetova ShO, El-Sayed Negim. Development of a Technology for Processing Waste Plastic Bottles and Bags to Obtain Various Types of Biodegradable Polymer Films. International Journal of Biology and Chemistry. 2022; 15(1):107-116. https://doi.org/10.26577/ijbch.2022.v15.i1.012
Aldas M, Pavon C, De La Rosa-Ramírez H, et al. The Impact of Biodegradable Plastics in the Properties of Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate. Journal of Polymers and the Environment. 2021; 29(8):2686-2700.
Liu J, Jia C, He C. Rice Straw and Cornstarch Biodegradable Composites. AASRI Procedia. 2012; 3:83-88.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 G. Yeligbayeva, Zh.K. Orazalin, Abdassalam A.Alfergani, K.K. Omirzakova, N.B. Milissova, Eny Kusrini

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.