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Abstract Grafting polymers with reactive maleic anhydride is a common approach for the synthesis of new material with the capability of acting as a compatibilizer in polymer blends. Accordingly, this research showed a new approach for grafting maleic anhydride onto renewable cellulose acetate using an initiator. The grafting process through extrusion showed good stability with continuous production of all grafted samples. Moreover, two different grafting processes, namely one‐step and two‐step processes, were shown to produce materials with very similar characteristics. Grafting of maleic anhydride onto cellulose acetate by reacting with its hydroxyl groups was confirmed by both Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. Rheological studies also demonstrated the enhanced flowability and lower viscosity of the grafted material in comparison to the plasticized cellulose acetate. Highlights Grafting maleic anhydride onto plasticized cellulose acetate by reactive extrusion. Detection of grafted maleic anhydride onto cellulose acetate through NMR analysis. High thermal stability of grafted materials. Significant reduction in viscosity of plasticized cellulose acetate after grafting

Biodegradable plastic-based items play an essential role in ensuring the sustainability of the food packaging industry due to their high biodegradability and minimized use of fossil fuels. The incorporation of low-cost waste biomass into bio-based polymers to produce biodegradable composites supports the circular economy model and reduces landfilling and carbon footprint challenges associated with petroleum-based plastics. This work discusses the utilization of waste almond shell powder (ASP) up to 50 wt.% with poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) (PBSA) to develop sustainable biocomposites through injection moulding for rigid packaging applications. At a lower angular frequency (0.1 s − 1), the complex viscosity of the PBSA/50%ASP biocomposite was reduced by ∼65% after adding 5 wt.% compatibilizer, as confirmed by a rheological analysis. The heat deflection temperature, flexural strength, and tensile and flexural moduli of the PBSA/50% ASP biocomposite with 5 wt.% compatibilizer were improved by ∼24, 125, 368, and 385%, respectively, compared to pristine PBSA. These improvements are attributed to the high stiffness and load-bearing capacity of ASP and the enhanced interfacial adhesion and particle dispersion caused by the compatibilizer, as corroborated by SEM analyses. Hence, the formulated biocomposites show a suitable structure-property-processing co-relationship for injection moulding of single-use products.

Distillers’ dried grains with soluble (DDGS), a by-product of the corn ethanol industry, has been shown to be useful as a filler in biocomposites. Work was done comparing the impacts of heat treatment (torrefaction, at 300°C) of DDGS and inclusion of compatibilizer on properties of a DDGS-filled biocomposite. The untreated or heat-treated DDGS (30 wt.%) was blended with poly (butylene succinate co butylene adipate) (PBSA) (70 wt.%), or PBSA offset with 3 wt.% maleic anhydride-grafted PBSA. As a result of the inclusion of DDGS, tensile and flexural modulus increased by 68% and 72%, respectively. The torrefaction heat treatment was shown to degrade the hemicellulosic content of the DDGS, which restored thermal stability lost with the addition of untreated DDGS. The improved compatibility with the addition of MA-g-PBSA resulted in improvement in heat deflection temperature , as well as tensile strength and flexural strengths, in both untreated and heat-treated samples. Notably, tensile and flexural strengths were further enhanced in the case of the untreated DDGS. Overall, this study shows how filler treatment combined with compatibilization in PBSA biocomposites impact material performance and their variability in specific properties when it comes to application options.