Green Innovation: Transforming Carob Pod Shell into Bioplastics with Enhanced Mechanical Strength for Eco-Friendly Application

Abstract

Plastic's inability to decompose has posed a significant threat to both humans and the environment, necessitating the development of biodegradable polymers. Among these difficulties are greenhouse gas emissions, hazardous chemical leaching, microplastic contamination, and environmental damage. In order to address some of the issues mentioned, this work focuses on the extraction of cellulose from carob pod shells and its subsequent conversion into cellulose acetate and nanocrystals (CNC) for the manufacture of bioplastics. The materials and methods include the isolation of cellulose from biomass through chemical treatments, CNC production through maleic acid hydrolysis, cellulose acetate preparation, and bioplastic synthesis. Evaluations of functional properties, proximate analysis, hemicellulose and lignin content, and % yield were all covered by experimental studies. X-ray diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopywere used in the characterization process. The bioplastic synthesized demonstrated significant degradation of an average mass of 72.13% over a 28 days period, indicating its environmental friendliness. Mechanical properties such as hardness shows that the higher the content of glycerol, the less the hardness; tensile strengthincreased as the amount of glycerol was increased showing a remarkable strength of 8.00 MPa as the minimum(without glycerol) exceeding the minimum value of 1.343 MPa according to the Biodegradable plastic standard SNI 7818:2014; and elongation were also evaluated, showing a positive correlation with the addition of glycerol. XRD and SEM analyses revealed changes in crystallinity and morphology respectively during the bioplastic synthesis process. FT-IR spectra confirmed the chemical modifications, and the degree of substitution for cellulose acetate was determined. The study provides valuable insights into the sustainable utilization of carob pod shell for eco-friendly bioplastic production with desirable mechanical and degradation properties.