Process Optimisation for Obtaining Biodegradable Products with Caustic Soda and Cereal Bran Mediated Starch Jellyzation

The volume and scale of disposable tableware production worldwide are increasing, and polymer materials, which are products of oil refining, are used as the main raw materials. Polymer products are organic materials made based on natural or synthetic high-molecular compounds, and are distinguished by several advantages of their materials in industry and production. However, the release of chemical and household toxic substances during the disposal process after use, and the fact that their decomposition period is on average more than 500 years, is a very serious environmental problem. To eliminate such an environmental hazard, as an alternative solution, today, based on the study of the chemical composition and properties of many natural and harmless biocomponents, the possibilities of replacing polymer products with other harmless copolymers and biopolymers are being widely studied and put into practice. This scientific article analyzes the technology for the production of environmentally friendly disposable containers using the bran of some cereal plants, in particular, wheat and corn, which is a secondary product, and using two methods of obtaining biopolymer (ecopolymer) compositions with the participation of caustic soda and starch paste, and based on the processes of natural gelatinization of starch in the composition of cereal bran. During this study, two methods for producing biodegradable containers from wheat bran were conducted and analyzed. The first was the production of 100% natural eco-containers using the starch glue mentioned above, and the second was the laboratory analysis of the container production line as a result of processing under physicochemical effects based on appropriately prepared mixtures of wheat and corn bran with water. A mixture (gelation) of starch and water in different proportions at a temperature of 50°С to 60°С was accepted for dishes made as starch glue. The second method of preparing starch glue is the method using animal gelatin, in which gelatin that has undergone the swelling process is poured into the prepared starch paste, mixed and cooked in a water bath at 100-120 0 C for 30 minutes. It is noteworthy that for the first time in the country, specific ratios and technological conditions have been proposed for the production of biodegradable containers based on local, inexpensive secondary grain resources that decompose under the influence of biological natural resources within a period of 1 to 3 months.The creation of biodegradable containers from the bran obtained as a result of the large-scale cultivation of grain products in the country, several times cheaper than samples made abroad, of high quality, without disposal problems, completely harmless and environmentally friendly.