Production of plastic by green algae / Nur Alina Aqila Mazlan

An enormous amount of plastic garbage is polluting the environment, especially the marine environment, as a result of the rising global demand for plastic materials. Since microplastics can infiltrate the food chain and have a number of negative effects on health, this important issue has an influence on both humans and marine life. It appears that landfill, incineration, chemical treatment, and plastic recycling are not the best options for minimising plastic pollution. In order to address the rising global plastic waste, this paper provides two newly discovered environmentally acceptable solutions: plastic biodegradation and bioplastic synthesis utilising algae. Utilizing the plastic polymers as carbon sources, algae, and microalgae in particular, can break down the plastic molecules using their own toxin systems or enzymes. In this research, the use of algae for plastic biodegradation has been rigorously examined to show the mechanism and the impact of microplastics on the algae. This research offers details pertaining to the creation of plastic from green algae. The purpose of this study was to create plastic using green algae. The majority of the green algae's composition, or between 50 and 70 percent, is made up of polymer proteins and carbohydrates. By altering or making structural changes to the polymer structure of the algae—a process known as protein denaturation—algae can be made into plastic. In a process known as protein denaturation, chemical agents such as sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), sodium sulphite, and urea were utilised to unravel the intricate structure of an algal protein polymer. Cutting, mixing, and drying were the steps that went into making this plastic from green algae. The ingredients, such as starch, glycerol, and plasticizer, were added during compounding. The plastic was created by drying the plastic in an oven at various temperatures between 110°C and 80°C. According to the results, the formulation of the sample with the addition of starch exhibits the highest performance, which practically has a plastic property. As a result, a lot of work must be done to achieve better results in order to make plastic with the best characteristics.