The effect of plasticizer addition on Chlorella vulgaris/ PVA-g-MA

Abstract

Nowadays, plastic waste is the biggest environmental issues. Since the conventional plastic which comes from synthesis polymer cannot be decomposed by decomposer, one of the solution is bioplastic. This study used Chlorella vulgaris and PVA as the based materials to make the edible film. Chlorella is chosen as the new potential of raw material for its high amount of biopolymer (Protein, carbs). However, Chlorella/PVA has some weakness such as poor physical-chemical properties. The plasticizer is needed to improve the elasticity of natural and synthetic mixtures as both materials have different properties. This study aims to obtain the best glycerol concentration as a plasticizer for PVA-g-MA/Chlorella plastic based. Chlorella was modified by mixing distilled water and glycerol variations (15%, 20%, 25%, 30% v/wt of Chlorella). Maleic anhydrate-grafted PVA (PVA-g-MAH) was synthesized by blending PVA, MAH, DMSO, and KPS with temperature 120 °C. Both of them are mixed well then molding by temperature 120 °C. The addition of glycerol respectively caused a decrease in tensile strength from 42.25 to 26.9 kgf/mm 2 . Meanwhile, elongation is increasing from 13.0% to 41.4%. With this result, it can be indicated that plasticizer addition can improve the homogeneity and elasticity of PVA-Chlorella plastic film.