ELASTOMERS AND PLASTICS The Characterization of Poly ethylene /Sodium Caseinate Films with different Plasticizers produced by Extrusion and its Biodegradability

Sodium caseinate (NaCAS)/polyethylene (PE) blend films by using different plasticizersglycerol (GLY), sorbitol (SOR) and polyethyleneglycol (PEG) were produced by the extruder and hot press. The tensile strength decreased and elongation at break increased with the incorporation of plasticizer. 

The increase in production of petroleum derived plastics has resulted in increases of waste materials which are either non biodegradable or decomposable after a long period of time. The synthetic polymers are produced almost 140 million tons each year and approximately 20 - 25% of these end up as solid wastes.