Harnessing Insect Exoskeletons Biomass-Embedded Plastics for Eco-Friendly Rigid Items for Agriculture Applications

In this work are reported preparation, properties and biodegradability in different environments of composites based on Poly (butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA) and Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHB-HV) as polymeric matrix, with filler from insect exoskeleton (I), a by-product obtained from grinding the insect’s post-protein extraction dry biomass. The composites were produced by melt extrusion and characterized in terms of processability, thermal stability, morphology, and me-chanical properties to select formulations optimized for injection moulding processing. The optimised composites (PBSA/PHB-HV) with different amounts of insect filler (I) were used to produce pots by injection moulding. Selected formulations were tested for biodegradability in compost, home compost and soil. This study presents a sustainable option for valorising the insect exoskeleton residue remaining after protein extraction for animal feed production, and reducing the production cost of PBSA/PHB-HV based composites without compromising mechanical properties for application as rigid items in agriculture, while promoting biodegradability in industrial compost.