Chitosan Epoxidized Natural Rubber Biocomposites for Sorption and Biodegradability Studies

Abstract

The slow-release mechanism of copper into soil followed by soil biodegradation was studied using the chitosan (CTS)/epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) biocomposite. The biocomposite was prepared by homogenizing CTS in ENR50 (ENR with about 50% epoxy content) latex in the presence of curing agents and acetic acid. It was found that the adsorption property of the biocomposite was very much influenced by chitosan loading, where 20phrCTS-t-ENR biocomposite can absorb 76.31% of Cu(II) ions. The desorption study indicates that the copper (II) ion can be released at a very slow and control phase as proven by the kinetic study using zero-order, first-order, Higuchi, and Korsmeyer Peppas equations. The slow-release studies comply with the Higuchi square-root equation, indicating that the release process is diffusion-controlled. Results of desorption and biodegradation process suggest that this biocomposite has the potential use of being a slow-release matrix in the field of agriculture.