In this work, a new compatibilization strategy for polypropylene-lignin blends was presented, which did not rely on the use of solvents or other chemicals. Soda lignin was subjected to plasma treatment in an argon atmosphere employing a gliding-arc-tornado reactor configuration. The effect of this process was evaluated using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis, evidencing significant chemical-structural modifications in lignin, including an increased concentration of phenoxy radicals (60 %) and depletion of hydroxyl functionalities (35 %). Polypropylene-lignin blends incorporating 5 % (w/w), 10 % (w/w), and 20 % (w/w) of either pristine or plasma-treated lignin were then prepared by melt-blending in a twin-screw extruder, and their thermo-mechanical and rheological properties were investigated in detail. As a result of the plasma-induced modifications occurred in lignin, blends incorporating the plasma-treated material exhibited greater thermo-oxidative stability, more favorable viscoelastic response, significantly improved mechanical performance (137 % and 294 % strain at break for polypropylene (PP) containing 5 % (w/w) and 10 % (w/w) of treated lignin, respectively), and enhanced thermo-mechanical reprocessability (> 95 % retention of yield strength and strain at break after re-extrusion). This work provided the first demonstration of the effectiveness of plasma treatment as a viable and sustainable strategy to improve filler-matrix interactions in polypropylene-lignin blends without the use of solvents, chemical compatibilizers or additional wet-chemistry steps, paving the way for the development of lignin-based thermoplastic polyolefin materials with enhanced thermo-mechanical characteristics and improved reprocessability.

Bellinetto, E., Regoli, S., Barni, R., Canevali, C., Boumezgane, O., Zoia, L., et al. (2025). Enhanced Performance and Reprocessability in Polypropylene-Lignin Blends Through Plasma Treatment. JOURNAL OF BIORESOURCES AND BIOPRODUCTS, 10(2 (May 2025)), 170-186 [10.1016/j.jobab.2025.01.003].

Enhanced Performance and Reprocessability in Polypropylene-Lignin Blends Through Plasma Treatment

Barni, Ruggero;Canevali, Carmen;Zoia, Luca;Riccardi, Claudia;
2025

Abstract

In this work, a new compatibilization strategy for polypropylene-lignin blends was presented, which did not rely on the use of solvents or other chemicals. Soda lignin was subjected to plasma treatment in an argon atmosphere employing a gliding-arc-tornado reactor configuration. The effect of this process was evaluated using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis, evidencing significant chemical-structural modifications in lignin, including an increased concentration of phenoxy radicals (60 %) and depletion of hydroxyl functionalities (35 %). Polypropylene-lignin blends incorporating 5 % (w/w), 10 % (w/w), and 20 % (w/w) of either pristine or plasma-treated lignin were then prepared by melt-blending in a twin-screw extruder, and their thermo-mechanical and rheological properties were investigated in detail. As a result of the plasma-induced modifications occurred in lignin, blends incorporating the plasma-treated material exhibited greater thermo-oxidative stability, more favorable viscoelastic response, significantly improved mechanical performance (137 % and 294 % strain at break for polypropylene (PP) containing 5 % (w/w) and 10 % (w/w) of treated lignin, respectively), and enhanced thermo-mechanical reprocessability (> 95 % retention of yield strength and strain at break after re-extrusion). This work provided the first demonstration of the effectiveness of plasma treatment as a viable and sustainable strategy to improve filler-matrix interactions in polypropylene-lignin blends without the use of solvents, chemical compatibilizers or additional wet-chemistry steps, paving the way for the development of lignin-based thermoplastic polyolefin materials with enhanced thermo-mechanical characteristics and improved reprocessability.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Compatibilization; Gliding arc tornado; Lignin; Plasma; Polypropylene;
English
20-gen-2025
2025
10
2 (May 2025)
170
186
open
Bellinetto, E., Regoli, S., Barni, R., Canevali, C., Boumezgane, O., Zoia, L., et al. (2025). Enhanced Performance and Reprocessability in Polypropylene-Lignin Blends Through Plasma Treatment. JOURNAL OF BIORESOURCES AND BIOPRODUCTS, 10(2 (May 2025)), 170-186 [10.1016/j.jobab.2025.01.003].
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Bellinetto-2025-Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts-VoR.pdf

accesso aperto

Descrizione: This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Tipologia di allegato: Publisher’s Version (Version of Record, VoR)
Licenza: Creative Commons
Dimensione 2.79 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
2.79 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/536021
Citazioni
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
Social impact