Evaluation of Composite Films Containing Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Cotton Gin Trash.

The purpose of this work was to explore the possibility of using cotton gin trash (CGT) as an inexpensive and biodegradable filler for poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH). CGT was milled and screened to give fine particles, and the particles less than 150 um in size were used together with three PVOH polymers (with 1–20% vinyl acetate levels) to form composites. Up to 60% by weight of CGT could be incorporated into PVOH to form composite films. Relative to PVOH, these PVOH/CGT films showed reduced tensile strength and elongation at break but enhanced Young's modulus. CGT was chemically modified through acetylation and succinylation; however, no significant improvement in mechanical properties was observed with these modifications, although acetylated CGT did exhibit somewhat improved elongation at break relative to unmodified CGT for the two PVOH polymers with higher vinyl acetate contents. Thus, for PVOH applications that need reduced cost but can tolerate decreased tensile strength and elongation, cotton gin trash can be used as a cost-effective filler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]