Biodegradation Characteristics of Tacca leontopetaloides Thermoplastic Films under Controlled Composting Conditions

Abstract

This paper represents the biodegradation characterization of thermoplastic starch (TPS) films derived from Tacca leontopetaloides starch; namely thermoplastic starch with glycerol as plasticizer (TPS/GLY), thermoplastic starch with glycerol added with acetic acid (TPS/ACE) and thermoplastic starch with glycerol added with acetic acid with rice husk biochar reinforcement (TPS/BCRH) after aerobic biodegradation under controlled composting conditions. From the experiments, scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the films showed homogeneous and even surface before the biodegradation but changed into grainy and uneven after subjecting to 45 days of biodegradation. Mechanical properties of all TPS films reduced significantly as expected. Even so, adding rice husk biochar did offer some strength to the TPS formulation. However, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis suggested that 45 days of aerobic biodegradation was not capable to alter the chemical structure of the films as the characteristic peaks of all films are quite similar to before the biodegradation took place. The study also found that Aspegillus sp was the degrading TPS microorganism.