Ali R., Rahman W., Kasmani R., Ibrahim N., Mustapha S., Hasbullah H., 2013, Tapioca Starch Biocomposite for Disposable Packaging Ware, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 32, 1711-1716.
In this research, the renewable source, tapioca starch (TS) is used as the subject to improve the degradability of injection moulded plastic packaging. The TS blended with low density polyethylene (LDPE) was melt compounded using a twin screw extruder at screw speed at 70-80 rpm, barrel temperature range at 150, 130, 130 and 140 °C and followed by injection moulding process to produce sample. Studies on their mechanical properties and biodegradation were carried out by tensile test and exposure to fungi and enzyme environment respectively. The presence of high starch contents had an adverse effect on the tensile properties of LDPE/tapioca starch blends. In biodegradation studies, fungi test evaluated visually and showed the starch in the sample promoted growths and increased fungi colony. Young’s Modulus and tensile strength was found to decrease with the addition of tapioca starch. However, elongation at break of the samples increased slightly when starch is added. The samples become ductile at increasing of TS loadings. A growth of microbes colony can be seen on the surface of LDPE/TS biocomposites indicates that granular starch present on the surface of the samples were attacked by microorganisms, until most of it is assimilated as a carbon source.
