RODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOPLASTIC FROM BANANA PEELS”

Abstract

The aim of this study is to develop bio-plastic from banana peels and tests the durability and the efficiency of the plastic produced. Plastic industry is considered one of the most important industries because plastic is an important factor in the making of many useful products such as sheets, tubes, rods, slabs, building blocks and domestic products. Making bio-plastic from banana peels instead of the traditional petroleum-based plastic is believe to be a successful solution to increase the efficiency of plastic industry and of most bio plastics results in reduced carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional alternatives. The solution produces the same amount of plastic with higher efficiency and durability and with a little cost in less time than normal plastic, so it meets the design requirements of any successful solution, which are production, efficiency, and cost. The laboratory scale of this thesis was done in Wolkite University in chemical engineering laboratory room in this laboratory the films were carried out with several durability tests, Mechanical (tensile strength and elongation at break) property, Physicochemical properties (transparency, biodegradability or solubility), the effect of temperature and effect of glycerin was tested. The results showed that the plastic produced could bear the weight one and a half time more than petroleum-based plastic, so it is suitable for being use in the making of traditional plastic products. This study also includes the material and energy balance for laboratorial and industrial scale and sizing of equipment. The economic feasibility of the study calculated that made the thesis feasible that the payback period is 1.72 year.