Review: Natural Material Polymers As A Substitute for Synthetic Polymers

Abstract

The environmental problem from the manufacture of plastic waste has become an important problem because it is difficult to decompose. Therefore, it is necessary to make efforts to replace oil sources with plant materials as raw materials for polymers so as to produce plastic manufacturing technologies made from natural materials that can be degraded in a short time, namely in the form of bioplastics. Starch is one of the natural polymers that can be used for the production of bioplastic materials because it is easily degraded, but this bioplastic has disadvantages such as being hydrophilic. The method for making bioplastics from starch can use cassava starch and sweet potato starch. The process of making bioplastics is carried out with the stages of mixing, heating, stirring, printing, and drying. In addition to the basic ingredients of starch used, it is necessary to add plasticizing agents such as glycerol and other additives. In the manufacture of bioplastics from cassava starch, two variations were carried out, namely cassava starch as a basic ingredient, glycerol, water, acetic acid and a second variation with the same combination with the addition of alcohol as a comparison. Characterization of bioplastics in cassava starch includes surface observations using SEM, crystallinity using XRD, determination of functional groups using FTIR. The characterization results show that bioplastics in combination with the addition of alcohol have a high degree of degradation. According to the XRD analysis, this combination has a low crystallinity value. The results of FTIR analysis showed the presence of CH Alkanes, C =O Esters, and CH alkenes functional groups. While SEM shows a flat surface. Whereas in the manufacture of bioplastics from sweet potato starch as a base material, glycerol plasticizer, chitosan, acetic acid, and distilled water, the test analysis includes mechanical tests of tensile strength and elongation. The effect of adding the concentration of glycerol plasticizer and the effect of adding the concentration of chitosan reinforcer on the mechanical properties of bioplastics showed opposite properties between tensile strength and elongation. The result of the addition of glycerol concentration causes a decrease in the tensile strength value. While the results of the addition of chitosan concentration led to an increase in the value of tensile strength.