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Corn Gluten Meal as a Thermoplastic Resin: Effect of Plasticizers and Water Content

¹Plant Polymer Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 1815 N. University St., Peoria, IL 61604, USA. Names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the name by the USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable. ²New address: Poet Research, 4615 N. Lewis Ave. Sioux Falls, SD 57104. ³Corresponding author. Phone: 605-965-2333. Fax: 605-965-5173. E-mail address: john.lawton@poetenergy.com

Corn gluten meal (CGM) was studied to investigate the effect plasticizers and water have on its melt processing, and how this melting affects its mechanical properties. GCM containing varying amounts of water were mixed with 23% (w/w) plasticizers; (glycerol, triethylene glycol (TEG), dibutyl tartrate, and octanoic acid in a Haake bowl mixer at 80°C. The amount of water in the CGM affected the amount of torque produced in the Haake mixer. This increase in torque was correlated with how well the CGM melted in the mixer. SEM images of CGM melted in the mixer showed a more uniform homogenous structure when processed at its optimum moisture content. Glycerol, TEG, and dibutyl tartrate produced the greatest torque when the CGM contained <1% water. Octanoic acid produced the greatest torque when the CGM was processed at 8% moisture. CGM plasticized with TEG and octanoic acid were mixed at either their optimum moisture or at 9.6% moisture and then compression molded into tensile bars. The tensile strengths of the bars that were mixed at their optimum moisture content were significantly greater than the bars mixed at 9.6% moisture. The tensile properties of the CGM samples were affected by relative humidity (rh). The tensile strength decreased and elongation increased as relative humidity increased. CGM plasticized with TEG saw a greater changes in its tensile properties due to relative humidity than did octanoic acid plasticized CGM.