Effect of Palm Wax on the Density and Water Affinity Properties of Thermoplastic Cassava Starch

The aim of this study is to investigate the density and water affinity properties of thermoplasticThermoplastics cassava starch matrix containing palmPalm waxWax (TPCS/PW). The samples were prepared via hot pressing by varying the ratios of palmPalm waxWax (2.5, 5, 10, and 15 wt%) with the presence of glycerol as a plasticizer. The resulting blend was thermo-pressed at 150 °C to produced plates having 3 mm thickness. The prepared plates were characterized for the density and water affinity properties. Results showed that incorporating starch-based thermoplasticsThermoplastics with palmPalm waxWax has remarkably reduced the density of the samples from 1.45 g/cm3 to 1.22 g/cm3 meanwhile the moisture content was also decreased gradually following increasing amount of palmPalm waxWax in thermoplasticThermoplastics cassava starch matrix from 12.01% to 8.28% respectively. Besides, the water absorption of the samples improved water resistance when increasing waxWax addition from 40.40 ± 1.11 to 27.86 ± 0.87%. Overall, this study shows that the incorporation of palmPalm waxWax into thermoplasticThermoplastics cassava starch has improved the functional properties of this green material especially on moisture behavior and has the potential to be used as biodegradable materials. Through the targeted modification of starch, novel products are consistently being created, which are increasingly utilised across a diverse range of industrial applications. Given the significant increase in interests and the wide range of materials currently available, it is evident that there are limitless opportunities rather than limitations.