Partial Replacement of PVC by Lignin as a Sustainable Alternative to nonrenewable Materials

Blends from PVC/soda lignin and PVC/acetic acid lignin were prepared and characterized by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, TGA and DSC. ATR-FTIR and SEM measurements revealed miscibility of the blends containing 10 - 40 wt.% soda lignin and 10 - 30 wt.% acetic acid lignin. TGA analysis indicated thermal stability of PVC at the beginning of the pyrolysis process, and thermal stability of lignin at higher temperatures. DSC curves demonstrated that Tm values of PVC/soda lignin blends were close to that of PVC control, whereas those of PVC/acetic acid lignin blends shifted to higher temperature. Increasing lignin content in the blend or DOP loading in PVC led to deterioration of the tensile strength and elongation at break.