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In the present study, the whole seaweed from Kappaphycus alvarezii (containing carrageenan) was used for preparation of bio-nanocomposite films by blending with metal oxide nanoparticles such as zinc oxide (ZnONPs), cupric oxide (CuONPs) and silicon dioxide (SiO 2 NPs) for multiple applications, and their properties were compared with standard refined κ-Carrageenan (commercial grade). Simultaneously, the antibacterial activity and biodegradation profile of the prepared bio-nanocomposite film were also studied. The incorporation of nanoparticles into the bioplastic film matrices altered the surface morphology, increased the roughness and significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the UV transmittance, water uptake ratio (WUR), moisture content and solubility in both standard carrageenan-based bio-nanocomposite films (CBF) and Kappaphycus- based bio-nanocomposite films (KBF) compared to control. The average roughness (Ra) of KBF increased compared to CBF; however, CBF showed better tensile strength compared to KBF. Both KBF and CBF loaded with nanoparticles exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. However, KBF performed better compared to CBF. Antimicrobial effect of nanoparticles delayed the degradation of the bio-nanocomposite films. The present study proposes that the whole seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii) can be used directly for multiple industrial applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Seaweeds rich in polysaccharides are considered commercially important because of their wide range of industrial applications. In this study, the red seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii was used for bioplastic film production. Plasticizer polyethylene glycol (PEG) to seaweed biomass ratio was optimized and a thin bioplastic film with higher tensile strength was produced. The films obtained were characterized by its thickness, tensile strength, colour (L, a, b), elongation at break (EAB), water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) and oxygen transmission rate (OTR). TG-DSC, AFM, SEM and FTIR spectroscopy analysis were performed to assess the composition, phase transitions and chemical reaction capabilities of the film. The bioplastic film obtained from 4% K. alvarezii (whole seaweed) showed better physical and mechanical properties, whereas TG-DSC, FTIR and AFM showed similar kind of bioplastic properties in all the concentrations. Decrease in OTR was observed against decreasing wall thickness of the film. The present study suggests that the seaweed would be a potential alternate source for bioplastic production which may reduce the usage of non-degradable plastics., (© 2020. Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)