Biodegradation of low density polyethylene/ starch film

Abstract

Low biodegradability nature of synthetic polymer is a nuisance to the environment, as the increasing of plastics waste will cause diseases and short landfill area. Addition of sago starch as filler in synthetic polymers suggests a good way to overcome the problem. In this study, sago starch was physically blended with LDPE, however it produces a brittle biodegradable film. Glycerol as a plasticizer was added to increase the compatibility of sago starch and LDPE which also subsequently reduced the brittleness of the film. Sago waste was also blended with LDPE and compared to sago starch upon its properties. Besides biodegradability, the mechanical and water resistance of this biodegradable polymer were studied. MFI was measured to determine the rheological properties viability of the blends to undergo blow film process. Gloss test was studied to determine the optical properties. Results showed, sago starch and sago waste behaved similarly in terms of biodegradability, MFI and water resistance properties, whereby as the starch content increase, LDPE/starch composite film become more biodegradable, decrement in MFI values and less water resistance. Higher loading of fillers contributed in decreasing the tensile strength and elongation at break while modulus is increased. Except for composite film filled sago waste, the tensile strength increases as the filler content is increased.