Tensile Strength and Flexibility Characterization of Biodegradable Plastic from Avocado (Persea Americana) Seed

Abstract

The increased use of plastics has become a major environmental problem, especially during this pandemic. Plastics have generated many problems, particularly waste disposal, which made the researchers aimed to develop biodegradable plastic through fruit waste material, avocado seeds. From a total of 3 kilograms of the avocado seed, starch was extracted through the traditional starch extraction method. There were three groups with the same ingredients but differing in their concentration; the relationship between the proportion of the ingredients and their respective differences was seen by using ANOVA and Post hoc tests. The samples have undergone a tensile strength test following ASTM D882. From the results, the best experimental group was the group with 40 grams of starch, 20 grams of polyvinyl alcohol, and 10 grams of used cooking oil; however, it is different from the biodegradable plastic bags used as the control group. It could be deduced that it is possible to make biodegradable plastic out of Avocado seed starch that is biodegradable, water-soluble, and non-toxic. However, further analysis may be conducted to provide physical features as commercial plastics.