Synthesis and Characterization of Starch-Based Bioplastics: A Promising Alternative for a Sustainable Future

Abstract

With over 9 million additional tons of plastic waste entering the oceans each year, 165 million tons of plastic waste have already defiled our oceans. Considering that just 9% of plastic is recycled, the rest of the waste contaminates the environment or is dumped in landfills, where it can take up to 500 years to degrade while releasing hazardous chemicals into the soil. The bioplastics prepared in this study were obtained from tapioca and sweet potato using plasticizers like glycerol in various combinations. The biodegradability and mechanical and physical properties were analyzed. The tensile strengths of the prepared bioplastic films were 4.25 and 2.35 MPa with elongation at break (EAB) of 39.5% and 25.4% for tapioca and sweet potato bioplastics, respectively. The biodegradability of the films was examined, and thus, the obtained bioplastics in the study are shown to be a good alternative to the existing plastics.

Keywords

• tapioca and sweet potato
• biodegradability
• SEM analysis
• bioplastic film
• XRD
• water absorption percentage