Films made of potato starch from industrial potato stragglers and polyethylene: physicochemical, thermal, and mechanical properties

World plastic production has increased, and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) is one of the most widely used polymers, but its low biodegradability rate has raised global concern. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the physicochemical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the films based on polyethylene and thermoplastic starch (TPS). LLDPE films were formulated by extrusion with TPS (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% by weight), and the structural (FTIR-ATR), morphological (SEM), thermal (DSC, TGA/DTGA), and mechanical properties were evaluated. FTIR-ATR results showed that LLDPE had reduced interaction with the O–H groups of the starch matrix. Morphological analysis showed that the incorporation of TPS into the LLDPE matrix caused phase separation and low adhesion. DSC and TGA results showed a temperature reduction in melting point and thermal stability, as well as an increase in crystallinity values (from 49.7 to 61.24%) when adding TPS. The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) increased from 4.21 to 10.64 g/(h m 2 ) after the addition of TPS. The tensile strength and modulus did not show significant differences with the addition of TPS; however, the elongation-at-break and tear strength values showed an increase from 205.25% to 264.39% and 3.5 N to 4.14 N, respectively. Graphical abstract