Click here to sign in with or
A biodegradable film made from waste from the palm oil industry could be used for food packaging
Plastic pollution is a pressing environmental concern of the twenty-first century. So is the palm oil industry, which is linked to widespread deforestation and habitat destruction. Research published in Current Research in Green and Sustainable Chemistry may be able to put a dent in both issues, with a biodegradable plastic film made from palm oil production waste.
Non-biodegradable single-use plastics, such as plastic bags and food wrappers, account for 40% of the plastic produced each year. "Hemicellulose is a naturally occurring biopolymer obtained from renewable materials such as polysaccharides and protein. It shows a huge potential for replacing non-biodegradable petroleum based polymers due to low cost and biodegradability," write the researchers, based at Universiti Sains Malaysia, in their paper.
In addition to plastic waste, 19.8 million tons of waste palm oil fruit bunches are discarded each year in Malaysia alone.To reduce the environmental impact of these forms of waste, the researchers have turned hemicellulose from waste palm oil fruit bunches into biodegradable films for green packaging.
Hemicellulose is abundant in agricultural and biomass waste. It is a promising biopolymer for film manufacturing applications as it is flexible, and has low gas permeability and high water resistance. Hemicellulose is also known to be a major component of the fruit bunches that are discarded by the palm oil industry. After extracting hemicellulose from bunches, the researchers confirmed that: "[Palm oil fruit bunches] can be identified as a potential raw material with a huge yield in the production of green packaging."
Although it has many properties that make it a potential viable alternative to other biopolymers, some properties—such as its brittle nature—limit its possible applications. As such, the researchers decided to blend it with the non-toxic, commercially available biopolymer carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). This is known to have positive effects on the mechanical properties, transparency, flexibility, and moisture absorption of other biopolymers.
The team blended different amounts of hemicellulose from the palm oil fruit rusks with CMC. This was then made into biopolymer films of varying thicknesses (all under a tenth of a millimeter). Extensive investigation into the physical and chemical characteristics of the films revealed that those containing 60% hemicellulose had optimal properties for making biodegradable packaging materials.
This new hemicellulose blended material can offer a cheap and abundant biodegradable polymer. It presents a promising alternative to polluting non-biodegradable plastics. Although producing biopolymers from palm industry waste does not prevent further industry-related deforestation, using this by-product adds to value to the crop, and as the authors note: "Consequently, environmental impacts can be minimized significantly." They also hope that incorporating additives to make the hemicellulose-based films electronically or photocatalytically active will increase their possible future applications. More information: P.R.D. Weerasooriya et al. Exploring the properties of hemicellulose based carboxymethyl cellulose film as a potential green packaging, Current Research in Green and Sustainable Chemistry (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.crgsc.2020.05.001 Provided by SciencePOD Citation: Biodegradable plastics from palm oil waste (2020, November 10) retrieved 7 November 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2020-11-biodegradable-plastics-palm-oil.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
More information: P.R.D. Weerasooriya et al. Exploring the properties of hemicellulose based carboxymethyl cellulose film as a potential green packaging, Current Research in Green and Sustainable Chemistry (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.crgsc.2020.05.001
Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines).
Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request
Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.
Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.
Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form.
Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties.
Medical research advances and health news
The latest engineering, electronics and technology advances
The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web
This site uses cookies to assist with navigation, analyse your use of our services, collect data for ads personalisation and provide content from third parties. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.