Mechanical Reinforcement by Microalgal Biofiller in Novel Thermoplastic Biocompounds from Plasticized Gluten

The aim of this work was to develop new bioplastic compounds from wheat gluten, biobased plasticizers (glycerol, octanoic acid and 1,4-butanediol), and microalgal biomass as a filler. The effects of the composition on tensile properties, thermal stability, and water sensitivity were investigated. Microalgal biomass was added with the selected quantities: 10, 20, and 30 per hundred parts (php). Mechanical mixing of the components, i.e., gluten, plasticizer, and microalgae, was followed by molding in a hot press. Microlgal filler improved mechanical properties of the plasticized gluten material: in samples plasticized with 1,4-butanediol, 30 php of biomass increased the tensile modulus by nearly one order of magnitude, from 36.5 MPa to 273.1 MPa, and it also increased the tensile strength from 3.3 MPa to 4.9 MPa. The introduction of microalgal biomass slightly increased the surface sensitivity against water: 30 php of biomass reduced the water contact angle from 41° to 22° in samples plasticized with glycerol, but the biomass lowered the overall water absorption kinetics for material with each plasticizer. Microalgal biomass proved therefore to be an interesting sustainable resource with which to develop materials based on gluten, in particular to increase the mechanical properties of the compounds without reducing thermal stability or water resistance.