Enhancing Tensile Strength of Bioplastic through Optimal Cellulose Source Selection 

The objective of the project is to enhance the tensile strength of bioplastic so that it can be a sustainable and environmentally friendly replacement to conventional plastic.

Based on the research it is found that plant based cellulosic fiber can be used to increase the tensile strength of starch-based bioplastic. Cellulosic fibers are abundantly found in the recyclable materials like office paper, and garbage materials like corn husk, wheat straw etc. Hydro and soda pulping can be used to extract cellulosic fiber from these materials.

One half of this project is to prepare biofiber plastic film by combining fiber and bioplastic in different ratios. The second half is to calculate Tensile strength and Flexibility of the biofiber plastic. Tensile strength is calculated using Maximum force (digital force gauge), thickness (Vernier caliper), and Flexibility by folding the samples at 180 degrees and placing a weight repeatedly until it shows signs of crease.

Results show that the tensile strength of starch-based bioplastic increases as the ratio of cellulosic fiber increases. The tensile strength of the bioplastic was increased within the range of 2-5 times compared to the control sample. Rice based bioplastic added with cellulosic fiber from office paper resulted in bioplastic with higher tensile strength. Flexibility of bioplastic shows an inverse relationship to tensile strength. Hence by varying the fiber ratio, bioplastic of different tensile strength and flexibility can be produced to meet different needs.

Research on water resistance and cost-effectiveness of biofiber-plastic needs to be done in the future, so that it can be considered as alternatives to conventional plastics.