Degradable Bioplastic Wearable/Packaging for Healthy Environment

The demand of plastic is extremely high due to its use in rigid packaging, flexible packaging, textile industry, automotive industry, transportation, agriculture, horticulture and pharmaceutical industry. The harmful effects of normal plastic waste drove industry to produce non-degradable bioplastics as well as degradable bioplastics; and, as of 2018, bioplastic market value was USD 6.04 billion, reported by Future Business Insightsâ„¢. Over 55% of this bioplastic produced is still non-degradable. The pandemic of corona virus disease, COVID-19, forced people to use disposable plastic (for gloves, bags, ready to eat food, etc). And, disposable plastic clothes became inevitable for medical personnel. The abrupt demand for disposable plastic and packaging to protect oneself from COVID-19 disease, not only increased plastic production but also assisted to generate infected plastic waste. The COVID-19 infected plastic waste urge to envisage research on hydrophobic degradable bioplastic. As non-degradable plastic hinder degradation in composting, the degradable bioplastic should preferably be made from renewable resources. A wide range of bioplastic films were prepared from acetylated high amylose starch with triacetin (AHAST) to be analyzed. The AHAST films had an average thickness of 41.33 microns. AHAST films were subjected to material strength analysis, water absorption capacity analysis and loss of mass analysis at compost facility. The morphological analysis was conducted by SEM to observe physical changes at microscopic level. AHAST films showed 1029 MPa of Young Modulus with 0.11mm/mm elongation at break. With no water uptake, hydrophobic nature of the AHAST bioplastic was evidenced. The AHAST film of 110 mg was composted to smaller fragments of 90 mg in a short period of ten weeks only. The compost facility was comprised of warmth humid closed stage and outdoor aerated piles stage. It was, therefore, concluded that AHAST bioplastic films found to be hydrophobic to serve COVID-19 requirement for disposable plastic and packaging as well as degraded in short period of time to get rid of COVID-19 infected plastic waste.