Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Starch from Taro (Colocasia Esculenta) Peel in Varying Sorbitol Concentration with Pineapple (Ananas Comosus) Leaf Fibers and Rice (Oryza Sativa) Husks as Additives for the Production of Enhanced Bioplastic
摘要
The utilization of petroleum-derived plastics from non-renewable sources is progressively rising. An alternative option to these materials could be bioplastics, which are derived from renewable sources such as waste. Bioplastics possess the ability to degrade readily; however, they exhibit relatively low mechanical properties and are hydrophilic in nature. The main objective of this study is to produce an enhanced starch-based bioplastic derived and extracted from taro peel with pineapple leaf fibers (PALF) and rice husks (RH) as additives. Three concentrations of starch-sorbitol which are 25%, 35%, 45% and three concentrations of PALF-RH which are 10%, 15%, 20% are integrated to produce bioplastic. The tensile strength and elongation of the bioplastic was determined using Shimadzu UTM. The water resistance of the bioplastic was obtained by measuring the percent water absorption of the bioplastic. The fragmentability of the bioplastic produced was determined by observing the initial mass of the bioplastic strips before immersion in EM4 microbial solution and the mass of the strips after immersion. Results of the study showed that the addition of PALF and RH enhanced the water resistance of the starch-based bioplastic and yielded the highest tensile strength of 5.28 MPa. The highest elongation obtained was 3.49%. The biodegradable plastic from taro starch with PALF and RH can be fragmented with EM4 solution by 51.84% in one week. Thus, the bioplastic produced from starch with additives is not only enhanced but also environmentally friendly.