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The global community has prioritized environmental issues such as marine pollution caused by petroleum- based plastic materials. Because petroleum-based plastics are difficult to degrade in nature, developing biodegradable plastics is essential. Biodegradable plastics can be produced using a variety of renewable feedstocks, including polysaccharides, protein, and fat. Date seed is a starch source that can be used to make biodegradable plastics. This study aims to create and characterize both mechanically and biologically a biodegradable film made from date seed starch. The biodegradable films were created by mixing all the raw materials for 45 minutes at 70 - 100 °C. The sample was then placed in a mold and heated in an oven at 60 °C for 24 hours. The results show that as the concentration of date seed starch increases, both the maximum tensile strength and the maximum percent elongation decrease. The effect of chitosan concentration on maximum tensile strength varies, but in general, increasing chitosan concentration slightly increases maximum tensile strength. The maximum percent elongation was observed at a concentration of 1.45 wt.% chitosan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many civil engineering applications such as asphalt pavement, waste plastic resources can now be used as supplementation to achieve improved economy and to reduce environmental impact. In this investigation, the effect of adding a softened waste plastic (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) coating to the properties of coarse aggregate in a hot asphalt mixture were inspected. The adopted percentage of waste plastic chips varied from 0.6 to 1.8 % by weight of the coarse aggregate, and the Los Angeles abrasion value and water absorption percentages were then calculated for each mix. The density of the waste plastic-coated aggregate was also measured. The findings indicated that the aggregate properties were greatly improved by the addition of a waste plastic coating, with enhancement of several key properties increasing as the fraction of waste plastic increased. This may offer a practical use for waste plastic, reducing landfill, while supporting the development of improved hot mix asphalt for use in flexible pavement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural polymers are expected to be used as raw materials for biodegradable plastics production to replace synthetic plastics, which are known as not eco-friendly due to their difficulty to degrade microorganisms. Among modified cellulose derivatives, cellulose acetate can be used as raw material for biodegradable plastics. Cellulose can be obtained from lignocellulose material such as fiber waste of sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) trunk. This research aims to produce cellulose acetate with the degree of substitution value that meets a standard plastic raw material. Cellulose acetate was prepared through several processes such as extraction, delignification, bleaching, and acetylation. The experimental factor was a variation of the reaction time of delignification (15, 30, and 60 min) followed by acetylation (30, 60, 120, 240, and 360 min). The delignification process was carried out under pressurized conditions by using NaOH 10%, at 50 °C for 60 minutes, producing pulp with 0.24% of lignin, 10.87% of hemicellulose, and 88.49% of cellulose. The bleaching was done by using 10% hydrogen peroxide at pH 9 with a reaction temperature of 70 °C for 5 hours, yielding white pulp containing lignin was 0.01%, hemicellulose of 9.95%, and cellulose content of 90.01%. The cellulose acetate was obtained through the acetylation process by using acetic anhydride, and iodine as a catalyst for 30 minutes of generated cellulose acetate with a degree of substitution of 1.60+0.005. Cellulose acetate product has met the requirements as a biodegradable plastic raw material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioplastic, also known as biodegradable plastic, is made from renewable materials, including starch, vegetable oil, and bacteria. The usage of plastic is massive, harming the environment's long-term sustainability. Indonesia has had a problem with plastic trash. If possible, develop environmentally-friendly plastic packaging materials, such as biodegradable plastic (bioplastic). The goal of this study was to see how different amounts of chitosan and glycerol affected water absorption, tensile strength, elongation at break, biodegradation of bioplastics, and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) on bioplastics made from corn starch, as well as make assumptions about marketing costs or the economic price of the bioplastics made. Water absorption tests, tensile strength tests, elongation at break testing, biodegradation tests, and FTIR tests are used to determine the properties of bioplastics. The greatest water absorption test bioplastic was 1.5439 g in variation four chitosan, and the lowest was 0.9795 g in variation 3. The highest tensile strength test value was 0.0763 N/mm2 in interpretation five bioplastics, and the lowest was 0.0287 N/mm2 in variation 3. The biodegradation test had the highest percentage of mass loss, with the highest elongation in the breaking test being 632.8433 N/mm2 in the 3rd variation of chitosan and the lowest being 332.9006 N/mm2 in the 4th variation of chitosan. The most mass loss percentage is discovered in variation 2 of 3.2207 percent. In comparison, the smallest mass loss percentage is found in variation 3 of 0.7670 percent, and the functional groups for the FTIR test are OH in the group 5 variant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the processing of plastic granules to the finished product, the plastic melt is exposed to high shear rates and high temperatures for a specific residence time. This leads to molecular degradation of the polymer chains, which can have a particularly negative effect on the mechanical and optical properties. Since a prediction of the expected molecular degradation is not possible within the scope of the current state of the art, a test bench for defined damage as well as measurement of the thermoplastic samples was developed. The setup is similar to a Searle rheometer, so that defined damage can be introduced into the plastic by means of a rotating as well as temperature-controlled rotor. Torque monitoring simultaneously allows calculation of the viscosity, which is used to quantify molecular degradation. First of all, the requirements for the test bench had to be defined and a test chamber geometry has to be derived, which would allow accurate and reproducible measurements. In the course of the preliminary investigations, a test procedure was developed that allows representative measurements, taking into account influencing and disturbance variables. Consequently, the test bench allows a defined damage and measurement of plastic samples, from which the degradation behavior of the investigated plastic can be derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic waste is the most serious environmental problem in the last two decades. Plastic material derived from petroleum-based materials such as polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene creates serious environmental problems due to hard to decompose. Accumulation of plastic waste may reduce function and fertility of soil, as well as may harm organisms through the bioaccumulation and biomagnification. This review aims to investigate the latest work on biodegradable pot, including biomaterials and natural fiber applied for biodegradable pot, technical (physico-mechanical) properties, degradability in the environment (water and soil) and current applications in agriculture such as horticulture, floriculture, plantation, and agroforestry. Development and application of biodegradable pot are expected to be a new approach to achieve sustainable agricultural goals that take into account the elements of agriculture productivity and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic consumption has increased significantly in recent years all across the world. As a result, massive amounts of plastic-related garbage have been dumped into the environment. More importantly, plastic's limited biodegradability poses a serious threat to environmental protection. The aim of this review is to identify research done by researchers who use recyclable materials such as plastic obtained primarily from waste plastic generated by people all over the world by converting waste plastic into construction materials in order to solve the society's environmental problems. In general, the incorporation of recycled plastic aggregate reduces concrete workability, whereas the influence of rubber aggregate is mostly dictated by size and replacement content. Furthermore, the smooth surface and low density of recycled plastic compared to natural aggregate improved pore structure, lowering matrix densities and mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's era, the pollution due to plastic packaging is everywhere. The majority of the food packaging consists of laminates which is comprised of plastics, metals, paper and glass and which may end up in landfills and cause an environment risk. Since plastic takes 100 of years to break down. To reduce the utilization of plastic packaging, the edible and biodegradable food wrappers are used. Edible food packaging for premium products can be eaten or has the ability to biodegrade and it is eco-friendly. Edible food packaging controls food waste and does not require recycling. The millets are rich in nutrient and proteins and it is gluten-free. The millet is taken for the food packaging and can be used as an edible paper for premium products. The edible films with millets prolong the shelf life and value added nutritious edible paper can be developed. These premium products can be consumed directly without any harmful effects and it is biodegradable. This research paper summarizes about the production of edible paper for premium products from the source of millet and starch with value added nutritious in the form of edible and biodegradable products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradation behavior of commercial plastics including high density polyethylene based plastic (HDPE), low density polyethylene based plastic (LDPE), linear low polyethylene based plastic (LLDPE), and a mixture of HDPE and LLDPE based plastic (OXO), was studied. The degradation test was performed by soil burial for 12 months in controlled condition in the laboratory. The weight change and morphology by visual and microscopic investigation were collected every 3 months. The test was conducted at 28-30 oC and 70-90% RH. All samples showed a significant increase in brittleness and turbidity after 6 months of soil burial. Significant weight loss was observed for OXO sample after just 3 months and continued to decrease even through 12 months, while the majority weight loss for HDPE, LDPE, and LLDPE occurred after 6 months of soil burial. The morphology of the HDPE and OXO samples showed only traces of erosion and large holes after the first 6 months. However, after 12 months, significant surface damage was observed. From these findings, soil burial under controlled temperature and humidity conditions in the laboratory environment may be conducive for microorganism growth that are able to effectively degrade polyethylene based plastic products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymers like plastics and rubbers are widely used all over the world in different spheres of life due to their attractive properties such as; low density, ability to resist corrosion, and excellent resistant to electricity conduction. However, the continuous use of these materials without a proper management of their wastes coupled with their low biodegradability has resulted in a huge environmental problem globally, as they accumulate both on land and in the ocean. Therefore, in the quest to solve this ecological crisis, there has been an immense interest and investments into biodegradable plastics otherwise known as bioplastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding fillers to polymers allows highly functional materials and thereby properties like electrical conductivity that are not achievable by polymers themselves. But higher amounts of fillers cause an increase in viscosity and thus a change in flow behavior which in turn induces difficulties in plastic processing. Above a certain value (percolation threshold), there is a flow restriction. An important factor is the combination of the polymer and the filler and whether there are any interactions between each other. By differing the amorphous phase of polymers into a rigid amorphous and a mobile amorphous fraction, predictions about interactions are possible. The objective is the generation of such a flow restriction and the combined investigation of a polymer-particle-interaction. Polypropylene (PP) was used as matrix whereas minerals were used as filler materials in different amounts up to 40 vol.-%. SiO2 was chosen because it is available in different spherical sizes. Rheological investigations show that a higher aspect ratio leads to a faster increase in viscosity achieving the rheological threshold. As a result of the caloric investigations, the highly filled plastics show no interaction between polymer chains and filler surface. This leads to the conclusion that the change in flow behavior is mainly caused by direct interaction between the particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic product is one of the global problems due to the processes of degradation it takes thousands of years to decompose. Scientists in the world proposed a solution by using bioplastics. In this study, we synthesis bioplastics from cassava starch mixed with glycerin at various concentration (3%, 6%, 9%) and carbon at various concentration (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%). The biodegradability of the bioplastics was studied and provided the moisture absorption, tensile strength, and the structural properties by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The high concentration of glycerin (≥ 6%) would accelerate the degradation process 2 times higher than the lowest concentration. The degradation process and the mechanical properties increased with increasing the amount of carbon in bioplastic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study on physical and mechanical properties of PLA/PCL polyesters reactive blends, obtained by adding LTI was made with the aim to apply these blends in biomedical field, for example for absorbable suture threads or scaffolds for cellular growth. Polyesters based reactive blends were obtained by internal mixing, and it was find out the possibility of finely control the characteristic properties of those materials by varying the weight fraction of the two components and the amount of reactive agent. Blends of different composition were characterized by torque measurements, uniaxial traction test and wet-ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]