Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/Clay/Essential Oils Bionanocomposites Incorporating Biochar: Thermo-Mechanical and Antioxidant Properties

The use of biodegradable active materials is being explored as a strategy to reduce food loss and waste. The aim is to extend the shelf life of food and to ensure biodegradation when these materials are discarded. The utilization of biodegradable polymers remains limited due to their inherent properties and cost-effectiveness. An alternative approach involves the fabrication of bionanocomposites, which offer a potential solution to address these challenges. Therefore, this study investigates the production of a polyhydroxybutyrate/biochar/clay/essential oil (Tepa:Eugenol) bionanocomposite with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The morphological, physicochemical, and antioxidant properties of the materials were evaluated in comparison to those of the original PHB. The materials obtained showed a porous surface with cavities, associated with the presence of biochar. It was also determined that it presented an intercalated-exfoliated morphology by XRD. Thermal properties showed minor improvements over those of PHB, indicating that the components did not substantially influence properties such as crystallization temperature, decomposition temperature, or degree of crystallinity; the melting temperature decreased up to 11%. In addition, the PHB/biochar_7/MMT-OM_3/EO_3 bionanocomposites showed a tendency toward hydrophobicity and the highest elastic modulus with respect to PHB. Finally, all essential-oil-loaded bionanocomposites exhibited excellent antioxidant properties against DPPH and ABTS radicals. The results highlight the potential of these bionanocomposites for the development of antioxidant active packaging.