Biodegradable Films Added with Conjugates from Residual Agave vinasses: Chemical and Mechanical Characterization

The contamination caused by plastic is an environmental problem due to its high production and inadequate final disposal. Besides, plastic has low or null biodegradation capacity, which poses an alarming issue. So, looking for new income to produce plastics such as films is necessary for some applications. This study aimed to produce and characterize biodegradable films using gelatin, cellulose, glycerol, and Furan-Phenol Conjugates (FPC) from thermally modified Agave vinasses (concentrated in furans, phenols, and sugars). Conjugates were added in 1, 2, and 3% to produce gelatin-cellulose films. Chemical characterization using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and mechanical properties were measured by texturing equipment, thermal capacity with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and morphological characterization was used by environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). The biodegradability of films was determined by weight loss. The films showed characteristic peaks for phenolic compounds and furans such as 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF), respectively, with signals at 2930 cm-1 and 1648 cm-1. Mechanical tests indicated that adding FPC improved the mechanical properties of the films. Besides, they increased the melting temperature in all samples. After 30 days of soil burial test, the films showed a weight loss of 95.1% for FPC-1, 87.9% for FPC-2, and 82.73% for FPC-3. Using residual waste as vinasses as an improver of the properties of biodegradable films could be the first step toward a circular economy for residues from distilleries.