PLA-*g*-Cellulosic Derivatives

PLA-*g*-GA is blended with cellulosic derivatives, fully renewable and degradable resources, to obtain a fully biodegradable product. For example, when used with starch, a small percentage of PLA-*g*-GMA plays the role of a compatibilizer, which is incorporated into both PLA and starch phases [68]. Essentially, when PLA-*g*-GMA is incorporated into PLA/cellulosic blends, the mechanical properties are improved: the starch tensile strength at break increased from 18.6 ± 3.8 to 29.3 ± 5.8 MPa, the tensile modulus from 510 ± 62 to 901 ± 62 MPa, and elongation at break from 1.8 ± 0.4 to 3.4 ± 0.6% [68].

Based on the reaction with PLA-*g*-GMA, the various PLA/cellulosic derivatives blends that were compatibilized are PLA–starch copolymers [68], PLA-treated arrowroot fiber [71], PLA–lignin [72,73] PLA–cassava pulp [74], PLA–cellulose [75], PLA–bamboo flour [76], PLA–rice straw fiber [77].
