Polihidroksialkanoati kao održivi materijali budućnosti

undergraduate thesis

• Title (english): Polyhydroxyalkanoates as sustainable future materials
• Author: Nika Medved
• Mentor: Vesna Ocelić Bulatović (mentor)
• Committee member: Vesna Ocelić Bulatović (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Dajana Kučić Grgić (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Elvira Vidović (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology; Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2023-09-18, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: TECHNICAL SCIENCES; Chemical Engineering

Abstract

U današnje vrijeme sve je veći naglasak na promicanju svijesti o zaštiti okoliša i pronalasku novih materijala koji bi doprinijeli smanjenju onečišćenja istog. Jedan od glavnih krivaca za onečišćenje okoliša je konvencionalna plastika koja nema sposobnost biorazgradnje te na taj način ima negativan utjecaj na kvalitetu života ljudi u današnje vrijeme. Onečišćenje uzrokovano nagomilavanjem plastike doseglo je alarmantne razine te je sve veća potreba za rješenjem nastalih problema. U potrazi za novim materijalima koji prilikom svoje razgradnje ne stvaraju otpad, veliki potencijal pokazuju upravo polihidroksialkanoati (PHA). PHA spadaju ugrupu mikrobnih poliestera koje sintetiziraju mikroorganizmi. Istraživanja usmjerena naprocjenu okoliša pokazala su kako su PHA potencijalni kandidati koji bi doprinijeli smanjenju emisije stakleničkih plinova i gomilanju otpada kao i razvijanju brojnih inovacijama na polju biotehnologije, medicine te industrije općenito. Na taj način se promiče politika održivog razvoja kojom teži većina zemalja današnjice. Biorazgradljivost i biokompatibilnost čine ovu vrstu materijala održivim rješenjem. Glavnu prepreku u globalizaciji proizvodnje PHA predstavljaju troškovi proizvodnje te slaba fizikalna svojstva. Iz navedenih razloga, potrebno je staviti težište na promicanje istraživanja proizvodnog procesa ove vrste poliestera kako bi se postigla ekonomičnost procesa proizvodnje. Istraživanja je potrebno usmjeriti na razvijanje i poboljšanje fizikalnih i mehaničkih svojstava PHA kako bi materijal postao konkurentan konvencionalnoj plastici. U ovom istraživanju cilj je bio analizirati svojstva biorazgradljivih polimera; PHA, termoplastičnog škroba (TPS), polilaktida (PLA) i polikaprolaktona (PCL), te njihovih polimernih mješavina s PHA. Ispitana su toplinska, mehanička i površinska svojstva materijala, kao i promjene u kemijskom sastavu, kako bismo bolje razumjeli njihovu primjenu u kontekstu ekološki prihvatljivih polimernih materijala.

Abstract (english)

Nowadays, more and more emphasis is being placed on raising awareness of environmental protection and finding new materials that can help reduce pollution. One of the main causes of environmental pollution is conventional plastic, which is not biodegradable and therefore has a negative impact on people's quality of life. The pollution caused by the accumulation of plastics has reached alarming levels, and there is an increasing need to solve the problems that have arisen. In the search for new materials that do not produce waste when they decompose, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) show great potential. PHA belongs to the group of microbial polyesters synthesized by microorganisms. Research focused on environmental assessment has shown that PHAs are potential candidates that would contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation, as well as to the development of numerous innovations in the field of biotechnology, medicine and industry in general. In this way, most countries' sustainable development policy is promoted today.
The biodegradability and biocompatibility make this type of material a sustainable solution. The main obstacle to the globalization of PHA production is the production cost and the weak physical properties of PHA. For the above reasons, research on the production process of this kind of polyester needs to be promoted to achieve the economic efficiency of the production process. Research should focus on developing and improving PHA's physical and mechanical properties to make the material competitive with conventional plastics. In this study, the properties of the biodegradable polymers PHA, thermoplastic starch (TPS), polylactide (PLA), and polycaprolactone (PCL) and their polymer blends with PHA were investigated. The materials' thermal, mechanical and surface properties, as well as the changes in chemical composition, were investigated to better understand their application in the context of environmentally friendly polymer materials.

• Keywords: polihidroksialkanoati; biorazgradljivi polimeri; polimerne mješavine
• Keywords (english): polyhydroxyalkanoates; biodegradable polymers; polymer blends
• Language: croatian
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:149:239163
• Study programme: Title: Applied Chemistry - Undergraduate study; specializations in: Environmental chemistry and green technologies, Advanced materials and technologies, Applied organic chemistry; Course: Advanced materials and technologies; Study programme type: university; Study level: undergraduate; Academic / professional title: sveučilišni/a prvostupnik/prvostupnica (baccalaureus/baccalaurea) primijenjene kemije (sveučilišni/a prvostupnik/prvostupnica (baccalaureus/baccalaurea) primijenjene kemije)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2023-11-27 13:09:48