Reinforcing starch bioplastics with agricultural waste

Aim. The study was purposed to find alternative reinforcing fillers for the modification of starchbased bioplastics using agricultural waste. Materials and Methods. The visual analysis method was used to compare the characteristics of materials with different types of fillers. The influence of various kinds of fillers on the mechanical properties and structure of starch-based bioplastics was evaluated. The study used corn starch according to the DSTU 3976-2000 standard and five different types of agricultural waste as fillers to modify biodegradable plastics. The method of manufacturing the bioplastics included preparing a 10% starch solution, mixing it with other fillers, heating the suspensions to 90 °C, and drying the resulting solutions at 60 °C, depending on the type of filler. Results. The most successful options were those using technical cellulose fiber and sunflower seed husks compressed into granules. The obtained materials based on these fillers demonstrate better mechanical properties and better shape retention compared to starch-based materials without fillers. The optimal particle size was found to be in the range of 0.03-0.06 mm. Conclusions. It can be concluded that agricultural vegetable waste has a high potential as an effective filler for starch-based bioplastics, which will significantly reduce the cost of biomaterials and expand the scope of their use, making them more accessible for a wide range of applications.