Abstract:
Plastic is a fossil-based synthetic polymer that has become an essential material in our daily life.
Plastic pollution resulting from the accumulation of plastic objects has become problematic for our
environment. Bioplastic can be a biodegradable environmentally friendly alternative for the synthetic
plastic. In this paper, bioplastics based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/gellan gum (GG) blend have been
produced in three diferent compositions and their chemical structure, mechanical, morphological and
thermal properties have been studied. Glycerol has been used as a plasticizer. To add extra features
to the PVA/GG bioplastic, Psidium guajava (guava) leaves, GL, and chickpea, CP, extracts have been
added to the PVA/GG (30/70) blend. Water and aqueous ethanol have been used in the extraction of
GL and CP, respectively. The addition of the plant’s extracts enhanced the tensile properties of the
PVA/GG bioplastic. Weathering acceleration tests have been carried out to examine the degradation
of the prepared bioplastics. Cytotoxicity studies revealed that the prepared bioplastic is safe to be
used in food packaging applications. Water and oxygen permeability for the new PVA/GG bioplastic
have also been studied. The addition of the plant extracts (GL and CP extracts) increased the oxygen
and water permeability to diferent extents. Bioplastic life cycle assessment (LCA) and CO2 emissions
in comparison to fossil-based plastic have been investigated. From all the results, PVA/GG based
bioplastic proved to be a degradable, safe and efective alternative for fossil-based plastics in food
packaging applications.
