FROM AGRO-WASTE TO ECO-PACKAGING: SYNTHESIS OF BIODEGRADABLE PLASTIC FROM BANANA PEELS

Abstract

Worldwide, the problem of plastic waste and improper waste disposal of agricultural waste has grown to a significant environmental issue. In the current study, biodegradable polymeric films were synthesized using the banana peel agro-waste for creating sustainable eco-packaging. The banana peel paste with high natural starch and cellulose content was processed using the plasticizing agents glycerol, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) under acidic, neutral, and basic pH. Tensile testing, Fourier Transform InfraRed Spectroscopy (FTIR) and soil burial biodegradation analysis were used to characterize the prepared films. Mechanical properties such as tensile stress, tensile strain, maximum force, and Young's Modulus were evaluated in triplicates and reported as Mean ± SD, statistical significance was determined using Two-Way ANOVA (p < 0.05). The results showed that the type of plasticizer used and the pH of the conditions had significant effects on the structure and mechanical properties of the films. The resulting PEG-plasticized films with the highest tensile stress (50.89 N/mm²), maximum force (19.99 N) and Young’s modulus (3.02 N/mm²) had the best mechanical strength and stiffness. The glycerol-based films exhibited higher flexibility while the PVA-based films exhibited balanced mechanical stability and higher conversion efficiency. FTIR confirmed the presence of hydroxyl, alkyl, ether functional groups, typical of polymers based on starch, in the synthesized biodegradable polymer. The soil burial tests also showed that banana peel films showed rapid degradation compared to conventional polythene films. The study confirms that biodegradable polymeric films with good mechanical and environmental characteristics can be successfully produced from agro-waste of bananas. Among the various conditions, neutral pH and PEG plasticization were the most suitable. This shows that the bioplastics derived from agro-waste can be used as sustainable alternatives in eco-packaging applications