Banana Peel and Potato as a Biodegradable Plastic

Objectives: The research aims to produce bioplastic using starch, a polymer generated from natural plants that is abundantly available, affordable, biodegradable, and environmentally beneficial, such as potato and banana peel waste. Methods: Glycerol, acetic acid, and sodium hydroxide were added to banana peels and potato pastes in two separate beakers to produce bioplastic. After thoroughly mixing and having cured, they were removed from the petri dish, and the biodegradable plastic was subjected to a series of tests to determine the physical properties, including biodegradability, solubility, swelling, moisture content, and electron-scanning microscopy. Findings: In terms of biodegradability, potato plastic is more biodegradable and degrades faster, with an average weight loss of 86%, than banana peel biodegradable plastic, which lost just 66.1% of its weight. The results of the solubility test of synthesized bioplastic from banana peel and potato starch revealed that it was partially soluble in water and nitric acid and insoluble in ethanol. The results of the swelling test for both bioplastics synthesized showed that there was not much change when soaked in chloroform. A slight increase in weight was observed when bioplastic soaked in water. According to the moisture test results, the average percentage of weight loss for potato bioplastic was 29.51%, while the average percentage of weight loss for bananas was 17.38%. Novelty: As a result, the synthesized bioplastic material possesses significant qualities such as little or no swelling and insolubility in water, making it commercially viable, and renewable resources (banana and potato) will be the best raw materials for bioplastics synthesis. Keywords: Bioplastics, Glycerol, Banana peel, Potato, Soil