Study on the Concentration of Polyvinyl Alcohol in Bioplastic Composites of Taro Starch and Polysaccharides Other
Abstract:
Taro starch has been utilized to make liquid sugar [1-3]. Taro starch can also be used to make bioplastics. Bioplastic or degradable plastic is packaging that can decompose in the soil and is made from renewable materials so that its use does not pollute the environment [4]. This research aims to determine the effect of the concentration of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) reinforcing material on the characteristics of the composite of taro starch and other polysaccharides produced and to determine the bioplastic composite of taro starch-other polysaccharides which produces the best characteristics as a packaging material. This research used an ex perimental design that used a randomized block design with 9 variations in the ratio of taro starch composite with 2 other polysaccharides (glucomannan and carrageenan) with a ratio of 25:75; 50:50 and 75:25 with 3 levels of PVA concentration, namely 0, 5 and 10% (calculated from the composite material). The treatment combination table can be seen in Table 1. All treatments were divided into 2 groups based on the processing time for making the composite so that 36 treatment units were obtained. The data was analyzed for diversity and if it had a real effect, it was continued with the Duncan test. The variables observed were tensile strength, elongation of bioplastics, elasticity, biodegradation of bioplastics, swelling, and functional group testing for the best treatment. The results of the research show that variations in bioplastic and polyvinyl alcohol com posite materials have a significant effect on tensile strength, elongation at break and elasticity on the char acteristics of the taro starch-other polysaccharide composites produced. In the treatment variations of taro starch: carragegenan ratio of 25:75 with a PVA concentration of 10% produced the best bioplastic composite characteristics.
