Physicochemical characterization of two varieties of oranges peels and evaluation of its potential in biodegradable plastic films formulation

Abstract

The use of plastics from non-biodegradable fossil resources is a major source of pollution. As a result, fossil resources are gradually being replaced or reinforced by renewable resources such as: agropolymers, polymers from microorganisms and biotechnology in the manufacture of ecological plastics. Our study therefore proposed an effective solution to this problem via the valorization of agropolymers from orange peels in bioplastics. The physicochemical parameters of two varieties of orange peel grown in Benin (Valencia and Pineaple) were determined by following international standard protocols. From the obtained results, it appears that the pH of orange peels is comprised between 3.59 and 4.04; orange peels are acidic and constitute a pollution factor for the environment. The peels are also rich in cellulose (19.08% for Valencia and 19.76% for Pineaple) . The pectin content is 23.5% in the peels from Valencia variety while that of the Pineaple variety is 22.00%. Lignin content ranges 4.75% to 6.93%. These fibers’ contents show that orange peels are a potential source of biomass that can be used as reinforcement material in the formulation of bioplastics.