title: Development of crayfish bio-based plastic materials processed by small-scale injection moulding.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Protein has been investigated as a source for biodegradable polymeric materials. This work evaluates the development of plastic materials based on crayfish and glycerol blends, processed by injection moulding, as a fully biodegradable alternative to conventional polymer-based plastics. The effect of different additives, namely sodium sulfite or bisulfite as reducing agents, urea as denaturing agent and L-cysteine as cross-linking agent, is also analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incorporation of any additive always yields an increase in energy efficiency at the mixing stage, but its effect on the mechanical properties of the bioplastics is not so clear, and even dampened. The additive developing a greater effect is L-cysteine, showing higher Young's modulus values and exhibiting a remnant thermosetting potential. Thus, processing at higher temperature yields a remarkable increase in extensibility.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This work illustrates the feasibility of crayfish-based green biodegradable plastics, thereby contributing to the search for potential value-added applications for this by-product.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Sevilla, Facultad de Química, 41012, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Felix
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cordobes
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guerrero
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060829:Arthropod Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D003400:Astacoidea / Q000737:chemistry*; D063566:Biodegradable Plastics / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000191:economics; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D018857:Food Packaging / Q000191:economics; D005525:Food-Processing Industry / Q000191:economics; D005990:Glycerol / Q000737:chemistry; D007202:Indicators and Reagents / Q000737:chemistry; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D010968:Plasticizers / Q000737:chemistry; D011489:Protein Denaturation / Q000187:drug effects; D019163:Reducing Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D012758:Shellfish; D013030:Spain; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014508:Urea / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D060829:Arthropod Proteins; D063566:Biodegradable Plastics; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D007220:Industrial Waste; D010968:Plasticizers; D019163:Reducing Agents; D014508:Urea; D003545:Cysteine; D005990:Glycerol
keywords: bioplastic; crayfish protein; mixing blends; rheology; tensile strength test