Development of cassava peel starch-based bioplastic reinforced with lignin from sugarcane bagasse for light weight food packaging applications.

Abstract

With the ever-increasing demand of plastics in the world and their consequent disastrous effects on environment, a suitable environmental-friendly substitute like bioplastics/biodegradable plastics is the need time. This study centers on production of a variety of bioplastic samples from cassava peel starch reinforced with lignin using – Glycerol plasticizers. Samples were made using multiple amounts and combinations of the fillers and plasticizers, to test the differences in the physical and chemical characteristics (moisture content, absorption of water, and solubility in water, biodegradation in soil, tensile strength, Light microscope and FT-IR) of the produced samples due to their different compositions. The differences in the properties of the bioplastic samples produced make them suitable for usage in many different applications. The samples produced were synthesized using natural and environmentally safe raw material and showed biodegradation, thus proving to be a good alternative to the conventional plastics.