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The present article focuses on the characterization of the new biocomposites of
poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) with fillers of plant origin such as onion peels (OP) and
durum wheat bran WB (Triricum durum) subjected to composting and artificial aging. The
susceptibility to fungal growth, cytotoxicity and antibacterial properties were also exam-
ined. The biodegradation of the samples was investigated under normalized conditions
simulating an intensive aerobic composting process. It was shown that the tested natural
fillers significantly accelerate the biodegradation process of the composition (after 90 days
mass loss of PBS 7%) and that the samples with WB degrade much faster (corresponding
mass loss 86%) than those containing OP (corresponding mass loss 21%). The remains of the
samples after composting were subjected to chemical structure analysis (FTIR), and their
thermal properties were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was
shown that the degree of crystallinity of PBS and composites increased with the increasing
time of composting. In the case of pure PBS, this increase was a maximum of 31.5%, for
biocomposite with OP 31.1% and for those containing WB 21.2%. FTIR results showed
that cleavage of polymer chains by hydrolysis took place during composting. The tested
samples were also subjected to artificial aging under conditions simulating solar radiation
and were sprayed with water. After artificial aging, the significant changes in the color of
the samples as well as the porosity of their surface was noted, which was mainly due to the
effect of photodegradation of both the used OP and WB fillers. Additionally, FTIR analysis
indicated that samples were degraded by photooxidation processes. The ability of fungi to
grow on the surface of the samples was also tested. The results demonstrate the possibility
of using the developed biocomposite materials as a carbon source for the growth of fungi.
The antibacterial tests showed that samples containing OP exhibited strong antibacterial
properties regardless of their wt.% content. Additionally, a cytotoxicity test was performed
on a BJ cell line, demonstrating that none of the tested biocomposites were cytotoxic. More-
over, those with the addition of WB statistically significantly supported the viability of both
fibroblast and bacteria cells, showing their biological safety but lack of antibacterial activity.
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