Fabrication of Irradiated Bioplastic from Cassava Peel

Bioplastics have gained significant popularity in recent years but still need to approach the same degree of physical qualities as petrochemical plastics to be used in more significant applications and sectors through radiation treatments. Agro-waste products are probably a good way to make bioplastic. Besides, making good use of agricultural waste can assist in diminishing waste accumulation. This research will focus on preparing and characterising bioplastic from cassava peel. This research primarily aims to prepare bioplastic samples from cassava peel by adding different ratios of sorbitol and chitosan. Several characterisation methods, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), were used to study the amorphous and crystalline character of the film made. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was done to observe the morphology surface of the bioplastic. Lastly, the chemical bonding inside the molecules was determined using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). Bioplastic derived from cassava peel has shown that including sorbitol and chitosan, as well as a specific dosage rate of radiation treatment on bioplastic, can improve cassava starch-based bioplastic. The irradiation bioplastic sample's starch granules and component materials are agglomerated under SEM, and the particles prefer to disperse and bond together. From XRD analysis, the amorphous area was situated at 2θ, 4-25, depicting the highest crystalline peak at 18.3o. Compared to the non-irradiated bioplastic sample, the irradiated bioplastic sample showed slightly lower absorption for the absorption spectra in general, with shallow absorption peaks at 1415.58 cm-1, 1081.06 cm-1, and 439.43 cm-1. Overall, the absorption spectra of non-irradiated and irradiated starch bioplastic samples exhibited minor alteration in the FTIR spectra, with no new peaks forming and old peaks remaining essentially unaffected. Based on the findings from this research, an irradiated bioplastic made from agro-waste products has been successfully prepared using cassava peel with sorbitol and chitosan.