Formulation of Biodegradable Polysaccharide Blend as Replacement of Single-use Plastics

The accumulation of plastic waste has long been a problem and requires a multifaceted approach to address the complexity of this issue. Two heavy contributors are single-use plastics in the form of food packaging, and medical packaging. Conventionally, these are made of petroleum-based plastics as their production is well-established and low-cost, but a big disadvantage is their negative environmental effects, as they are almost always nondegradable. Biodegradable polysaccharides have a high potential to replace current plastics while bringing about a much better end of life, specifically as a biodegradable film that exhibits similar materials properties as typical plastics. However, these materials can be difficult to process and achieve suitable mechanical properties. The primary goal of this research was to develop and optimize a polysaccharide-based formula and test its capability to perform at the same level as traditional single-use plastics, as well as compare the introduction of crosslinkers and their enhancement. The fabricated films with or without crosslinkers were tested to determine their mechanical and thermal properties, anti-bacterial activity, water swelling, and soil degradation. A medical-grade plastic barrier film was used as a standard for comparison. Results demonstrate this product yields comparable necessary properties to plastics in current use and could serve as a viable degradable replacement.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Materials Science and Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Materials Science and Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Gmati, Selma

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Whittington, Abby Rebecca

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• McGinnis, Sean
• Tufecki, Eser

• Pullulan
• chitosan
• biodegradable
• packaging

Statement dc:rights

• Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:41546

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/121351