Methods for Degradation of PLA-Quinoa composites

Presentation Year

2026

College or Department

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Short Description of your Research or Creative Project (700 characters or less)

Polylactic acid (PLA) composites were created by integrating quinoa chaff that had been refluxed in a toluene and ethanol solution, with differing ratios of the chaff. These composites underwent testing such as bomb calorimetry, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, water uptake, water contact angle & degredation, antioxidant assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A cellulase enzyme was also purified from E-Coli bacteria for use in degradation studies. Current tests indicate that the refluxing of raw chaff increases homogeniztion of composites, which in turn allows for the increase of certain physical properties as well as increased degredation. This gives promising results concerning the future of biodegradable materials as they are able to keep favorable properties as well as decrease overall waste.

Does your project align with any of the following?

Permission to Publish Work

Yes

Presentation File Upload

chemistry-bernard-rafael-203725-3x2.pdf (7.45 MB)

Primary Contact: First Name

Rafael

Primary Contact: Last Name

Bernard

Primary Contact: Email

rb377@humboldt.edu

Primary Contact: I am a

Undergraduate Student

Primary Contact: Phone Number

6268772201

Indicate File Dimensions

3'x2'