Mechanical properties and water absorption of thermoplastic bloodmeal

Abstract

Bloodmeal mixtures containing SS, water, SDS and urea were extruded and injection-molded. Increased chain mobility with sufficient plasticization during processing increased the amount of available amino acids for strong water/protein interactions. Materials containing low water and increased SS had reduced tensile strength and elongation, compared to higher water at the same SS content. Materials containing three parts SS per hundred parts bloodmeal (pphbm), 60 pphbm water and 20 pphbm urea, were the only ductile materials after conditioning. Changing any one of these factors to a lower level will result in a brittle material. This mixture in combination with 3 pphbm SDS resulted in optimal mechanical properties (tensile strength of 9.6 MPa and Young's modulus of 534.9 MPa).