Elucidation of carbon dioxide content generated via biodegradation of bioplastic derived from local banana peel / Nur Hanim Aqilla Suhaimi

In recent years, there has been a lot of research towards sustainable substitutes for traditional petroleum-based plastics due to the worldwide environmental crisis and the growing problem of plastic waste. Bioplastics have become a possible alternative to lessen the negative environmental effects of conventional plastics. Thus, conventional plastics are primarily linked to pollution and ecological deterioration throughout their lifecycle, which has exacerbated environmental problems. This research responds to the necessity to look into sustainable alternatives. Achieving sustainable development objectives can be done by effectively utilising banana peel wastes from different stages of ripening to lessen carbon footprints and greenhouse gas emissions. Physicochemical characterization of banana peel includes sensory evaluation, ATR-FTIR analysis, water solubility, soil burial test and aerobic biodegradation measurement. It was found that ripe bioplastic has a sweet scent due to 90% of the total amount of esters present in the film. The texture of each film can have a different impact on the water solubility. Thus, ATR-FTIR was performed to test whether functional groups like C-O stretching and C-H stretching are present in the films at the certain band. It was observed that only minimally existent unripe and overripe peaks are at wavenumber 2250-2100 cm-1. A few parameters including soil moisture, pH, and temperature were thoroughly assessed as part of a biodegradability study of the bioplastic generated. This research shows bioplastic from all stages of ripening degrade more quickly in wet soil and at high temperatures. When bioplastics are buried in soil, it is broken down by microorganisms, which produce gases, biomass, and water. Aerobic biodegradation measurement was conducted by titrating KOH and HCI with the presence of phenolphthalein for five consecutive weeks to determine the amount of released CO2. In conclusion, bioplastics made from unripe, ripe and overripe banana peels have a lot of potential to replace conventional plastics. It is because these bioplastics exhibit a high rate of degradation in soil burial tests over a variety of factors, such as pH, temperature, and moisture content.