Title:
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOPLASTICS FROM CORN-STALK FIBER AND CHITOSAN

Authors:
Nur Rokhati, Aji Prasetyaningrum, Asep Muhamad Samsudin, Fakhri Santo Khoirudin, Umi Widi Astuti and Widyah Anggraini

Abstract:
The plastics used by the public are generally made of petrochemicals which take a long time to degrade completely. One of the solutions to overcome the problem of plastic waste is to make produce bioplastics. Bioplastics are made from renewable natural materials and are environmentally friendly. One of the materials that can be made into bioplastic is chitosan. Chitosan has been widely used in the packaging industry, especially in food packaging, because of its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxicity. However, the relatively high price of chitosan will limit the use of chitosan film in various applications. In this study, bioplastics were made from chitosan and cellulose. Cellulose was obtained from the corn-stalks waste extract. The results showed that the glycerol addition increases the swelling degree, decreases the tensile strength, increases the elongation break, and accelerates the degradation of bioplastics. The optimum conditions for producing bioplastics were obtained by 1% glycerol addition, cellulose: chitosan ratio of 25:75, and 1% glutaraldehyde addition.

Keywords:
Bioplastics, Chitosan, Cellulose, Corn-stalk

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52267/IJASER.2024.5204