Fuente: PubMed "rice" RSC Adv. 2026 Jul 10. doi: 10.1039/d6ra00947f. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTIn this study, rice straw (RS), an agricultural waste, was utilized for reinforcing poly(lactic acid) (PLA). To enhance different final characteristics of the biocomposites, RS was treated with two different alkaline pulping methods, one environmentally friendly and the other non-green. To strengthen the fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion, two reactive compatibilizers, including an epoxy-based chain extender (CE) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), were also employed to tailor the interface. The environmentally friendly pulping of RS with sodium bicarbonate caused the highly porous lignocellulosic fibers, whose addition to PLA at 10 phr loading led to 26% improvement in the impact strength, owing to their mechanical engagement. Despite that, the soda-pulping and bleaching treatment of RS cleaned the cellulosic fiber surface and reduced the fiber diameter from 805 to 5 µm. This surface contained a large number of hydroxyl groups, which can chemically react with the epoxy groups of the multifunctional CE additive. The chain extension and compatibilization reactions induced by CE resulted in 129%, 67%, 40%, and 25% enhancements in Young modulus, tensile strength, tensile toughness, and impact resistance of PLA, respectively. The findings of this research confirmed that by tailoring the RS structure and the RS/PLA interface, a plant-based biocomposite with higher toughness and stiffness can be achieved, which will be useful for expanding these filled biodegradable and renewable composites.PMID:42433442 | PMC:PMC13353060 | DOI:10.1039/d6ra00947f