Green plastics based on thermoplastic starch and steam-exploded nanofiber cellulose

Abstract

Thermoplastic starch (TPS) is a potential candidate for green plastic or biodegradable plastic because it is renewable, cheap, translucent, and flexible. However, the mechanical properties of TPS are still not satisfactory and should be enhanced by adding reinforcing agents such as Nanofiber cellulose (NFC). This research aimed to fabricate the bioplastics based on thermoplastic starch (TPS) and Nanofiber cellulose (NFC) by solvent casting technique. NFC was prepared via physicochemical pretreatment of empty fruit bunches (EFB) through a steam explosion method. FTIR and XRD technique is used to evaluate the interaction between TPS and NFC. The addition of NFC increased the mechanical properties of the bioplastics from 27.9 to 42.7 MPa. TGA data showed that the degradation of bioplastics increased from 307ºC to 313ºC with a percentage of the residue of 1.8% and 10%, respectively. SEM analysis showed that NFC was homogeneously dispersed on the TPS. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the addition of NFC improved mechanical and thermal properties that are potentially used as green plastic material.