Bioplastic Production from Corn and Potato Starch and Its Industrial Applications

Abstract Plastic has become an inevitable part of our daily life. According to OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), around 460 million tonnes of plastic is produced worldwide, of which merely 9% plastic waste gets recycled while 22% is mismanaged. This causes severe hazards to the environment and lifeforms. In order to overcome this problem, bio-plastics are introduced. They are considered green materials substitutes for plastics which are environment-friendly and biodegradable. Bioplastic can be prepared from renewable resources consisting of biomass mainly starch, cellulose, etc. This paper presents a detailed process of preparation of bioplastic from corn and potato starch followed by its mechanical strength testing. Also, the real-life applications of the obtained bioplastic are discussed. The bioplastic produced initially lacks plasticity so sorbitol was added as a plasticizer. The newly prepared bioplastic has higher elongation and less water absorptivity. Hence it can be concluded that the bioplastic obtained meets the requirement to be considered as an alternative to conventional petroleum-based plastic.