Mung beans (Vigna radiata) as a Main Component in Bioplastic Synthesis: An Exploratory Research

• Main Authors: Escasinas, Sophia Nhory S., Lao, Aaron De Angelo P., Pasia, Jessa A., Relos, Frederick Tom C.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2021
• Subjects: bioplastic; biodegradable; mung beans; starch; environment
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2021/paper_see/13; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/conf_shsrescon/article/1675/viewcontent/SEE__Mung_beans__Vigna_radiata__as_a_Main_Component_in_Bioplastic.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Non-biodegradable and single-use plastics became helpful to the masses, yet harmful to the environment. Thirty-five percent of plastics made for packaging, typically used once, are usually scattered or littered (Davis, 2015). Bioplastics are recently consolidated to potentially become an alternative to traditional plastics, which can reduce the dependency of plastic to petroleum and better disposal of plastic. With this in mind, investing in research and development with regards to bioplastics is much needed for our environment. Hence, promoting it as an advocacy should be uplifted (Thompson et al., 2009 cited in Pathak et al., 2014).This study aims to synthesize Mung beans (Vigna radiata) based bioplastic film as an alternative for non-biodegradable plastics gathering data on its properties using Solubility Test, Swelling Test, and Biodegradability Test.The result of the Solubility test revealed that the bioplastic material is soluble in the strongly acidic solvent and insoluble in the remaining solvents including distilled water after the soaking period. The Swelling test showed that there is a minimal difference in weight after the material was submerged in distilled water making it more preferable when it comes to manufacturing of bioplastic material. The Biodegradability test revealed that there is a massive change in weight after the soil burial period. Therefore, we conclude that the Mung bean starch based bioplastic film can be an alternative to singleuse and non-biodegradable plastics and can be a solution to the existing and rising environmental issues caused by the continued use of non-biodegradable materials in numerous fields.