DEVELOPMENT OF BIODEGRADABLE BIOPLASTIC FROM BANANA PEELS
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Date
2023
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Abstract
The development of biodegradable bioplastic has gained significant attention in recent years due to its potential as a sustainable solution for plastic waste management. The present study was to develop bioplastic from banana peels and characteristic its physical properties. The biofilm was prepared from banana peels by casting method using glycerol (10%) as a plasticizer and corn starch as co-biopolymer. Five banana peel bioplastics (T1 -T5) were prepared with different concentrations of corn starch (2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% respectively) and the bioplastic (T0) without corn starch was taken as a control. Based on the study, the thickness of the bioplastic was recorded in the range of 0.38 mm - 0.59 mm. The bioplastic (T4) with 8% corn starch was found to have the highest tensile strength of 0.388 MPa as compared to other treatments. The highest water solubility was observed in the bioplastic (T5) with 10% corn starch. At different temperatures (250C, 300C and 350C), the water vapour transfer rate (WVTR) of the bioplastic were studied. The best result for WVP was observed in T5 where the concentration (10%) of corn starch was highest. The biodegradability of the films was determined by carbon dioxide evolution. There was a gradual increase in carbon dioxide evolution from day 7th to day 90th. After 90 days the net carbon dioxide evolution was recorded as 0.5190 g for T4 (corn starch 10%). Lastly, the microbial growth was detected only after 60 days of storage. The study revealed that the treatment T4 (Glycerol 10% and 8% corn starch) is found to be the best among the treatments considering its highest tensile strength (0.388 MPa), elongation percent (9.77%), maximum load (2.48 N), intermediate solubility (34.12%), thickness (0.56 mm), susceptibility to microbial contamination and biodegradability. Effects of concentration of corn starch showed positive effect on water vapor transmission rate of the bioplastics. By using bioplastic, the environmental pollution can be reduced as well as the waste banana peels can be turned into a new value-added biodegradable plastic product.