Investigation of Novel Biodegradable Almond Gum - Poly Vinyl Alcohol Bi-polymer Blend for Packaging Applications

Abstract

Biodegradable plastics are designed in a way that they will break when exposed to microorganisms.Bioplastics are commonly made from natural byproducts with rigorously controlled conditions of temperature and humidity in industrial environments. Bioplastics can be degraded naturally in the environment, thereby minimizing the hardship on the natural environment by the conventional plastics. The objective of this work is to synthesize biodegradable plastics from naturally available Almond Gum (Prunus dulcis). A biodegradable plastic from Almond Gum (AG) was prepared by solution casting technique. Further, to strengthen the characteristics of AG bioplastic, poly vinyl alcohol was blended with it and the composite bioplastic was prepared. The synthesized bioplastic membranes were subjected to physicochemical properties such as thickness, moisture, mechanical strength and water absorption analysis. Further, the work is carried out to analyze the antibacterial activity and biodegradable property of the synthesized bioplastic membranes. The prepared bioplastic showed water affinity, displaying its hydrophobic nature and a biodegradability of 43% was achieved. It also displayed quick degradation, thus recommended for commercial application.