Chemical, Mechanical, and Wettability Properties of Bioplastic Material from Manihot esculenta Cassava-Chitosan Blends as Plastic Alternative

The extensive use and disposal of various petroleum-derived plastics has become a major cause of environmental pollution. The urgent need for sustainable materials to address plastic waste have resulted in the production of biodegradable plastics. In this study, a biodegradable plastic film is produced by incorporating chitosan with starch from Malaysian cassava (Manihot esculenta), utilizing the multihydroxyl properties of cassava starch. The results show that the addition of chitosan as a filler in cassava starch improves the physicochemical properties of the material, producing a bioplastic film with high compressive strength and resistance to water molecules. The contact angle of the developed biopolymer has been improved - from theta = 67.4 degrees to theta = 97.8 degrees - with the addition of the -NH functional group in the molecule, as confirmed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (v = 1555 cm(-1)). The tensile strength of bioplastic increases with chitosan content, proving its greater rigidity compared to bioplastic without chitosan. Additionally, the fastest biodegradation rate (9 days) occurs in the composition with high amounts of cassava in a ratio of 6:4 (cassava:chitosan). The bioplastic produced in this study readily decomposes in the environment, making it more sustainable, eco-friendlier, and providing an alternative to mitigate the use of single-use thermoplastics.