Effects of Starches

EFFECTS OF STARCHES ON BIO-BASED PLASTICS

1. Many people do not think about the consequences of throwing food scraps away. Repurposing agricultural waste would be beneficial to our growing environmental problem. One study shows that using potato peels (which are often the part of potatoes that people throw away) may increase bioplastic strength. This depends on the glycerin ratio; the lower the ratio, the more the bioplastic can withstand compressive stress.

2. Passion fruit peels are another example of food that is often wasted. When passion fruit is dried, it becomes 60% fiber. One study shows that reinforcing starch based bioplastics with passion fruit peels decreases water solubility, making it withstand water better.

3. Rice is a particularly abundant, and most importantly, renewable crop. One study shows that isolating the cellulose nanocrystals of rice straw adding using this for bioplastics can increase tensile strength and water resistance.