Producing of Biodegradable Plastic Films from Un-marketable Potato Tubers

Kobash, Aya; Moustafa, Moubark; Abdel-hadi, Fathi; Anwer, Ashrf

doi:10.21608/ajs.2021.92037.1409

Producing of Biodegradable Plastic Films from Un-marketable Potato Tubers

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Agricultural Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University,Cairo, Egypt

² Bio-Engineering Department, Agricultural Engineering Research Institute“ AENRI“, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt

10.21608/ajs.2021.92037.1409

Abstract

This study was conducted to reduce the volume of solid wastes by using unmarketable potato tubers for producing biodegradable plastic films to substitute oil-based plastics “OBP” which is often not biodegradable. Starch-based plastic films “SBP” were produced with different concentrations of glycerol (5, 10,15, 20,25, 30, 99.5%v/v) as a plasticizer. The physical properties of SBP including thickness, density, water absorption, and biodegradability, were studied, as well as mechanical properties including tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, elongation % and the required energy for the firm were also investigated compared with OBP samples. The results showed that the maximum value of extracted starch was 13.5% obtained by blending potato tubers. SBP films with elevated glycerol concentration in-creased the sample thickness but decreased its density. Glycerol 20% gave the best flexible compact structure SBP films. The average thickness and density of SBP film (20% glycerol) were 0.25 mm and 80.11 Kg/m³respectively. Meanwhile, the average thickness and density for OBP films were 0.41 mm and 24.39 Kg/m³ respectively. The rate of mass loss of SBP films with 20% glycerol concentration was 72% after 96 days while the rate of mass loss for OBP films is neglectable. Consumed energy for the firm was 44.05 and 31.06 N. mm.

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