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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]

Environmental issues are the most critical and urgent factor for the increasing use of biopolymers in broader applications. Research on chitosan as a bioplastic material opens vast opportunities to improve its weak mechanical properties. These include blending with biopolymer/synthetic polymers as a matrix or incorporating with nanofillers. The use of organic solvents in dissolving chitosan is also interesting for further research. In this study, we synthesized a chitosan/PVA-based biofilm composite in five different ratios (100/0, 80/20, 60/40, 40/60, 0/100) in acetic acid and citric acid with the addition of 10% weight glycerol to get the optimum composition of mechanical properties. This optimum film would be conducted with SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and Cellulose Nano Crystals (CNCs) to evaluate the reinforcement effects. Various properties, including surface morphology, functional, mechanical properties, and thermal behavior, were characterized. The experimental result showed that the tensile strength of the composite film in acetic acid was higher than in citric acid. With the addition of 2.5% w/w of SiO2 NPs, the tensile strength of the composite film got its maximum value, 21.01 MPa, and the maximum of 25.77 MPa with 10% w/w of CNCs, which was 115,7% higher than with of the pure chitosan/PVA film in the ratio of 80/20 which was the optimum. The effect of adding CNC and SiO2 NPS has the opposite effect. The addition of filler CNCs will improve mechanical properties, while SiO2 NPs tend to decrease mechanical properties. All film characterizations demonstrated that the physicochemical interaction between CNCs and chitosan/PVA molecules improved their mechanical and thermal properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic waste is the main problem that causes environmental pollution due to its non-biodegradable properties. One of the efforts to overcome this problem is the development of bioplastics. However, bioplastic still has a drawback, namely a low mechanical strength. The modification of bioplastic by adding rice straw nanofiber or zinc oxide (ZnO) was developed to enhance the mechanical properties and the degree of biodegradability. Various percentages of rice straw nanofiber or zinc oxides (0%, 1%, 3%, 6%, 9%, 12%,18%) were added to the starch aqueous of Canna discolor to improve the mechanical properties and the degree of biodegradability. The results showed that adding a rice straw nanofiber increases the mechanical strength and biodegradability of starch bioplastic from Canna discolor. In contrast, adding zinc oxide improved mechanical strength but decreased biodegradability. The composition percentage of 12% filler has produced the highest tensile strength (5.65 MPa for adding a rice straw nanofiber and 6.14 MPa for zinc oxide), which is twice larger than the tensile strength of pure bioplastic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, a popular method is growing plants in root-penetrable shells planted together with the plant. However, existing methods for growing plants have disadvantages. For this reason, we have presented a technology for production of a biodegradable composite polyhydroxybutyrate and lignin-based material for containers. The paper describes the method for producing biodegradable composites, provides the material density hardness, tensile strength, and impact strength data. Based on the resulting data analysis, it was concluded that the optimal content of wood filler for creating a biodegradable container is 40%-50% since the composite material has the highest physical and mechanical characteristics in this range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porang starch bioplastic (Amorphophallus oncophyllus Prain) and chitosan with sorbitol plasticizer were made by heating the solution on a hotplate at 80℃, and drying in an oven at 60℃. Results Characteristics of porang starch bioplastic obtained thickness 0.144-0.212 mm, water absorption 58.33%-87.75%, density 1.256-2.942 g/cm3, highest tensile strength 2.567 Mpa, highest elongation 52.499%, biodegradation in the first week 32.85%-39.21%. SEM characterization of bioplastics showed that the surface was uneven and no cracks formed. The FTIR spectrum showed no change in the wave number of the spectrum of porang starch, chitosan, and sorbitol with OH, CO, and NH functional groups. This shows that the resulting bioplastic only interacts physically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis of bioplastic from sweet potato starch with the addition of ZnO as a filler has been done. This study aims to determine the effect of ZnO filler addition to the quality of the mechanical properties which was synthesized. The mechanical properties include thickness test, tensile strength, elongation, and Young modulus. Preparation of bioplastics was performed by using hot blending method with no organic solvent. Chemical characterization performed by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD). Biodegradability test are implemented in a soil media for 16 days by looking at loss of mass from bioplastics. The results showed the addition of ZnO filler variations (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5%) affects the mechanical properties. Every addition of 1% ZnO decreases the thickness by 0.143 microns, increases the tensile strength by 0.086 MPa, increases the elongation by 0.086%, and increases the Young modulus by 0.029MPa. The addition of ZnO filler variations also inhibited the rate of biodegradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradable plastic was synthesized from the starch of yellow kepok banana weevil, and the effect of ascorbic acid concentration on its properties was evaluated. Chitosan was used for filler in a plastic network. Starch and chitosan have been used widely as materials for plastic due to their biodegradability and nontoxic effect. The mechanical properties include tensile strength, elongation, biodegradability, and water resistance to determine the quality of the plastic that has been synthesized. The result of FTIR spectroscopy analysis showed that the interactions between starch, chitosan, and ascorbic acid were hydrogen bonds and the ionic interaction of protonated amine in chitosan by the ascorbic acid. The elongation and biodegradability of the plastics were increased as the amount of ascorbic acid raised, whereas their tensile strength was decreased. The biodegradable test confirmed that obtained bioplastic could degrade by 25-66.67% in the soil for 6 days. Therefore, ascorbic acid is good as a plasticizer in starch-based plastic production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adverse environmental degradation created by various plastics produced from petroleum products is a major concern for the world nations. The developed and developing nations have adopted various strategies on the production and usage of highly hazardous conventional plastics. Various research works have been undertaken to formulate a sustainable alternative for the conventional plastics. In this regard, an effort was made to synthesis a biodegradable polymer for large scale commercial usage in packaging applications. Biodegradable polymers can be produced from various resources. The study involves the production of bio-plastic from Banana peel and Prosopis juliflora. Cellulose, a major component required for biopolymer synthesis was extracted from Prosopis juliflora which then combined and processed with dried banana peel. Additives and preservatives that contributes to the polymer characteristics were added in suitable proportions and processed under defined conditions. The mixture was then dried at a temperature of 130℃ to yield the final product. The biopolymers thus produced were tested for its water absorption capacity, thermal resistance, tensile strength, biodegradability and microbial attacks. It was observed that water absorption capacity of the biopolymer was lower for lesser starch and higher cellulose concentrations. The tensile strength was found to be 0.67 N/mm² which was due to the addition of zinc oxide. No microbial attack was observed during storage and it was also found that the biopolymer was able to withstand high temperature up to 130℃ during its usage [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, there has been considerable attention in the development of biodegradable plastic. Our current use and disposal of synthetic-based conventional plastics caused high rates of land-fill problems because of its persistence in the environment. Many renewable resources have been used as a source of starch and cellulose as bioplastic constituents. One of the most available biomasses that have not been explored is water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes). In the present study, we investigated the fabrication of biodegradable plastic made with a matrix of 3% and 5% mixture of starch and cellulose extracted from water hyacinth in different weight ratios of 10:0, 9:1, 8:2, and 7:3. The addition of water hyacinth cellulose was purposed as a reinforcing agent to improve the performances of the starch bioplastics. Chitosan with a matrix of 1% was also added to improve the mechanical function of starch bioplastic. There were two main steps performed to isolate water hyacinth cellulose, i.e., bleaching and alkali treatment. The chemical and physical characteristics of starch-based bioplastics and their composites were then analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, the tensile strength and bioplastic degradation tests were also conducted to study the performance and biodegradability. The FTIR data shows that the functional group's absorption revealed corresponds to the pure cellulose indicating the successful cellulose isolation from water hyacinth. The tensile strength of bioplastic starch-chitosan increases with the addition of water hyacinth cellulose. The improvement of the physical properties of bioplastic starch was achieved through the addition of chitosan and water hyacinth. The mixture of starch-chitosan combined with water hyacinth cellulose produces environmentally friendly bioplastics shown by the increased mechanical and physical properties compared to starch-alone bioplastic. [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]

Biodegradable plastics are one of the breakthroughs in the effort to reduce plastic waste. A biodegradable plastic can be produced from microalgae with high protein content, such as Spirulina platensis. Microalgae were mixed with a polymer; polyvinyl alcohol was used in this research to create the bioplastics. Other materials were glycerol as a plasticizer to increase flexibility, and maleic anhydride as a compatibilizer to strengthen the bond between the microalgae and polymer. This research aims to produce biodegradable plastic with mechanical properties similar to conventional plastics, i.e. tensile strength of 26.37 kgf/cm² and elongation of 55%. This research varied the amount of maleic anhydride, which were 0% wt, 2% wt, 4% wt, and 6% wt. Mechanical properties, i.e. tensile strength and elongation and surface morphology with SEM have been analyzed. Based on the experiment, the excellent compatibilizer composition for bioplastic film is 6% wt, which shows the tensile strength at 28.26 kgf/cm2 and elongation at 59.17%. Surface morphology comparison with SEM shows that bioplastic film with compatibilizer has more uniform surface than without compatibilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is introducing new natural fibers for use as fillers in a polymeric matrix enabling production of cost-effective, biodegradable, and lightweight composites for load carrying structures. Abaca (Musa textilis) fiber, one such kind, is rich in cellulose relatively inexpensive, and abundantly available. In this study, investigations on the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of abaca fiber are carried out, such as the density, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are determined experimentally. Analysis of the tensile force of the fiber, elongation of the fiber, and water absorption of the fiber in load direction and fiber length are also carried out. The data of chemical and physical analysis showed the abaca fiber has high cellulose (66.43%), hemicellulose (24.7%), lignin (13.6%) and low water content (0.7%), that results caused the fiber has high value of mechanical property with tensile strength up to 308,7 MPa. The FTIR spectra showed the presence of several functional groups that can be found in lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose. The surface microphotograph showed the fiber has micron size and curled shape. The DSC thermal analysis was performed to determine the thermal property of abaca fiber also to determine its suitability as bioplastic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to determine the effect of hydroxyapatite (HA) content in printed biocomposite to its mechanical strength. The biocomposite paste was prepared by composing HA, bioplastic and sericin with various ratios of [HA/Bioplastic]: 40/60, 50/50, 60,40 and 70/30. Sericin of 0.3% weight was added to the biocomposite. Mechanical test was conducted to observe tensile (ASTM D 638 type 4) and flexural strength (ASTM D 790). Both type of specimens were fabricated using 3D Printer. Printing process parameter (infill speed, print speed and layer height) were set up as 60 mm/s, 10 mm/s, 0.35 mm, respectively. Results showed that biocomposite with [HA/Biplastic] weight ratio of 60/40(w/w) has an optimum tensile (3.89 ± 1.26 MPa) and flexural strength (2.51 ± 0.45 MPa). Scanning electron microscope observation indicated that microstructure of specimen was influenced by the percentage of the hydroxyapatite. There was no agglomeration of HA particle within the composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characterization and evaluation of biodegradable plastic composed of a mixture PVA - carrageenan - chitosan was conducted in this study. Obtained data were then compared to commercial biodegradable plastic. Characteristic of plastic was mechanical tested such as tensile - strength and elongation. Plastic degradation was studied using composting method for 7 days and 14 days. The results showed that the increase carrageenan will decrease tensile-strength and elongation plastic composite. In addition, increase carrageenan would increase the degraded plastics composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]