Fabrication and Characterization of Starch/Chitosan Blending Bioplastic

• Main Author: Dyota Mahatara Santosa, Adam
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/42418
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

In 2017, Indonesia generated 85.000 tons of plastic waste in the form of plastic packaging, becoming world’s second biggest plastic waste contributor. Most of those plastic packagings are mainly made from derivatives of fossil fuels, resulting in their insolubility in water and low biodegradability. Alternatives for conventional plastic packaging are needed, and one of the most promising alternative are starch-based bioplastic. However, starch-based bioplastic have their own shortcoming: they are easily dissolved in water, making them impractical for everyday usage. In this research, chitosan from shrimp shell is blended with cassava starch to evaluate its effect on the bioplastic’s properties. Result shows that by increasing the chitosan content in bioplastic, its tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and water insolubility will be increased, but decreases its elongation. Furthermore, washing process of the samples affect their properties, too. Samples that underwent washing process have lower tensile strength and modulus of elasticity than those didn’t, but have higher water resistance and elongation. Biodegradation test shows that biodegradation resistance increases as chitosan content increase.