Effect of thermal aging on the biodegradation of PCL, PHB‐V, and their blends with starch in soil compost

Different proportions of starch were blended with poly(β‐hydroxybutyrate)‐co‐poly(β‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHB‐V) or poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) by extrusion, and the mechanical (maximum tensile strength, elongation at break and Young's modulus) and thermal properties (by differential scanning calorimetry) were determined. The biodegradability of the blends in soil compost was also assessed after thermal aging for 192, 425, and 600 h at different temperatures. The maximum tensile strength of the PCL50 blend (containing 50% starch) was 35% lower than that of PCL and that of the PHB‐V50 blend was 60% lower than that of PHB‐V without thermal aging. PHB‐V blends were more biodegradable than PCL blends. For the blends prepared, only the biodegradation of PHB‐V25 was affected by thermal aging.