MODELING OF THE BIODEGRADATION PROCESS OF POLYMER COMPOSITES BASED ON SECONDARY POLYPROPYLENE AND NATURAL FILLERS OF PLANT ORIGIN
At present, biodegradable polymers are used for the creation of various products both with short life cycle and those that retain their performance characteristics for a long time during period of consumption and then undergo physicochemical and biological transformations under the influence of the environment. One of the directions of creating such polymeric materials is the use of mixtures of synthetic polymers with natural fillers. When environmental factors, such as soil microorganisms, make influence on these materials, accelerated biodegradation of the natural filler and decomposition of the material takes place. In addition, filling of the polymer with natural components increases the interphase boundary of the contact through which moisture and aggressive chemical substances can penetrate into the polymer. Biodegradation of polymer composite materials based on secondary polypropylene and natural fillers of plant origin (rice husk and buckwheat husk) in the medium of the enzyme preparation was studied. It was found that prolonged aging of samples with a high content of vegetable filler was accompanied by loss of their mass. The larger the content of vegetable filler, the greater the mass loss of the samples. It is shown that for accelerated study of the ability of polymeric composite materials based on polyolefins and natural fillers of plant origin to biodegradation, the method of their aging in a solution of an enzyme preparation containing an enzyme or a mixture of enzymes capable of catalyzing the breakdown of the β-glycosidic bond can be used.