Obtenção e caracterização de filmes biodegradáveis de gelatina recuperada de resíduo do couro curtido ao cromo (III) com tratamento enzimático

Abstract

Polymers from non-renewable sources are widely used in the production of packaging and for use in agriculture, in the manufacture of greenhouses, bags for the production of seedlings and films for soil cover. These plastics are resistant to degradation and after use become an environmental problem, therefore, the development of biodegradable materials is a necessity, since they are produced from renewable sources and decompose rapidly, reducing the impact on the environment. The total or partial reuse of hazardous wastes, such as chrome-tanned leather III, has also been the subject of research for generating an environmental gain compared to disposal in industrial landfills for hazardous waste. In this context, commercial gelatin films and gelatin films extracted from leather residue to chromium III, in combination with plasticizer and enzyme transglutaminase (TGase) as crosslinking agent were produced in the present work. The enzyme TGase was statistically significant in the properties of solubility, contact angle and elongation of the films produced with commercial gelatin. For the films produced with gelatine extracted from chromium III tanned leather residue, the enzyme TGase was statistically significant in the properties of solubility, humidity, contact angle, water vapor permeability and rupture stress of the films. Thermal analysis showed that enzymatic crosslinking increased the thermal stability of films. Infrared analysis evidenced the reticulation of the transglutaminase enzyme in the films by the bands displacement. In the biodegradability test in simulated soil, the films degraded in 24 hours, proving that the polymer is biodegradable. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using gelatine recovered from a residue to produce biodegradable films with improvements in its properties with the addition of a crosslinking agent.