Production of a biopolymer film from biological wastes and its statistical analysis

In the present study, the Chitin extracted from crab shell wastes showed an effective conversion into biopolymer film by the addition of coconut shell powder as filler and castor oil as a plasticizer. To the best of our knowledge, this would be a new combination in the production of a biopolymer film using biological wastes. The formation of biopolymer film and its smooth morphology was observed through the presence of certain characteristic peaks in the spectrum and electron micrographs respectively. Better interaction between the filler and the matrix was observed and the low elongation value revealed increased stiffness of the biopolymer. Excellent tensile strength, impact strength, elongation at break and young's modulus of the film was evidenced from the studies. Also, the biodegradable ability of the film was observed at 15th day of storage. The influencing parameters in the synthesis of biopolymer film was optimized by Box-Behnken design (BBD) matrix.