Review on Spinning of Biopolymer Fibers from Starch

Abstract

Increasing interest in bio-based polymers and fibers has led to the development of several alternatives to conventional plastics and fibers made of these materials. Biopolymer fibers can be made from renewable, environmentally friendly resources and can be fully biodegradable. Biogenic resources with a high content of carbohydrates such as starch-containing plants have huge potentials to substitute conventional synthetic plastics in a number of applications. Much literature is available on the production and modification of starch-based fibers and blends of starch with other polymers. Chemistry and structure-property relationships of starch show that it can be used as an attractive source of raw material which can be exploited for conversion into a number of high-value bio-based products. In this review, possible spinning techniques for the development of virgin starch or starch/polymer blend fibers and their products are discussed. Beneficiation of starch for the development of bio-based fibers can result in the sustainable replacement of oil-based high-value materials with cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and abundant products.

Keywords: bio-based materials; biofibers; biopolymers; oil-based polymers; spinning; starch.

Figure 1

The process of destructured native starch from bio-based resources and the structure of starch with amylose and amylopectin.

Figure 2

SEM micrographs of the starch and thermoplastic starch (TPS): starch (a), TPS30 (b) TPS40 (c) and TPS50 (d). Reprinted with permission from ref. [25]. Copyright 2018 Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Figure 3

Schematic drawing of melt spinning with a polymer feeder (1), extruder with a single screw (2), the feed pump and nozzle (3), the spinneret (4), cooling air (5) and the winding station (6).

Figure 4

Schematic drawing of dry spinning (a) with the polymer solution (1), the pump (2), spinneret (3,) heated chamber (4), and subsequent winding or further processing (5), and the wet spinning process (b) with the polymer solution (1), pump (2), spinneret (3), coagulation bath (4) and subsequent winding or further processing (5).

Figure 5

Schematic illustration of electrospinning setup: syringe (pump) (1), polymer solution (2), needle (3), liquid jet (4 and 6a), Taylor cone (5), fibers (6b), circuit (7), collector (8a) and drum collector (8b).

Figure 6

Centrifugal/rotary jet spinning setup with polymer (1), pump (2), polymer path (3), flexible air foil (4), rotating reservoir (6,7), and fibers (8).

Figure 7

Schematic of the solution blowing process with the polymer (1), coaxial pump (2), syringe (3), polymer solution (4), air supply (5), high pressure air pump (5), valve (7), air (8), stretched polymer jet (9), and the fiber collector (10).