Utilisation of Waste Banana Peels for the Preparation of Environment Friendly Bio-plastic Film: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Plastics, which are dumped in landfills and disintegrate very slowly, are one of the main drivers of land pollution. Because of this, biodegradable and biocompatible polymers are currently increasing importance in both fundamental and practical research domains across the globe. Plastics made from renewable biomass sources, such as food scraps and agricultural byproducts, are known as bioplastics. Transparent, adaptable, strong, excellent as a barrier, and heat resistant, bioplastic is also. We carried out a study in the Biotechnology department of the Govt College in Hisar, Haryana, keeping all these issues in mind. In this study, we used leftover banana peels and turned them into a bioplastic film by treating them with acid and alkali. Successful production of bioplastic sheets from a mixture of banana peel and industrial maize starch was done. At 4% maize starch content, the films were able to offer tensile strength with a maximum value of 3.50 n. The hydrophilic properties of starch molecules increased the water intake for all of the bioplastic films by more than 50%, according to the water absorption test. It was discovered during a biodegradability test that all of the bioplastic films disintegrate within a week. It is advised to carry out additional experiments in the future to improve the performance of the film, particularly in terms of mechanical characteristics and FTIR studies, as this is only a preliminary study. For better and more environmentally friendly outcomes, more and more waste peels, such as fruit and vegetable peels can be examined.