Experimental study of recycling of banana peels into paper

• Main Author: Khoo, Flora Hoon Fang
• Other Authors: Heng Kok Hui, John Gerard
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/177822
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Banana, an edible fruit with peel that is a commonly discarded agriculture byproduct after consuming. The banana peel is rich in fibre that is promisingly a potential raw material for paper production. This experimental study aims to explore the feasibility of recycling banana peels into paper. Additionally, life cycle analysis and cost analysis are done to assess the environmental and economic impact of banana peel paper. The experiments are done by varying the boiling time of banana peel, blending time of the mixture and ratio of waste paper to banana peel. Each sample is visually-inspected and tested in terms of paper strength, water absorption and soil burial test. The study shows that the high ratio of banana peel produces paper that are lightweight and thinner. The paper with low boiling time, high blending time and low banana peel, shows the higher tensile strength of 2.28kN/m. The paper form with high boiling time, low blending time, with low ratio of banana peels have the highest water absorption rate of 3.17%/s by the weight gain method. With the same boiling and blending time with the high ratio of banana peels shows the longest length increase, 15.6mm, when the water capillary action test is done. Generally, the high ratio banana peel paper shows a higher biodegradability rate when disposed in natural environment. When the boiling time is low with high blending time, the paper has the highest loss 0.2455g of mass within a month. The life cycle analysis shows that incorporating banana peel fibre reduces the overall environmental impact of the paper production process, in terms of water and energy consumption and the greenhouse gas emissions. The cost analysis production were slightly higher, but the long-term savings from reduced raw material usage could offset these costs. Overall, the integration of banana peels into waste paper increases the water capillary action and biodegradability and offering potential economic benefits.