Melon (Cucumis Melo)Peel Extract As Biodegradable Plastic

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

As the population increases, plastic wastes increase with it and plastic pollution is spreading in our country. In line with this, bio-based plastics are novel approaches which are found to be a good alternative for petroleum based plastics. Researchers found that pectin which can be found in fruits is a key component to making bio-plastics. This research aims to construct a biodegradable plastic out of extracted pectin from Melon (Cucumis Melo)peel.

METHODS

This study consisted four phases including extraction of pectin where the peel was dried and pulverized. It was then mixed with water and denatured alcohol which produced the pectin. The construction of bio-plastic then follows: the pectin was mixed with water, vinegar and glycerin in a low heat pan, the constructed bio-plastic was then flattened on a foil, and the mixture was air dried for a day. To see if the bio-plastic was acceptable in terms of its appearance, odor and texture, a 4-point Likert Scale was utilized. The durability of the plastic was tested using an improvised tensile strength test which involved adding weights until it reached its breaking point. Biodegradability was also tested where the bio-plastic and the commercial biodegradable plastic wereburied for a week and the result was also rated through a scale.

RESULTS

The results showed that the bio-plastic is acceptable in terms of its appearance, odor and texture since its weighted mean was 3.8, 3.8, and 3.6 respectively. T-test of independent samples was used in determining its tensile strength. Melon bio-plastic had a mean of 5.42 while the commercial plastic had 3.92. The computed t value of 1.22 is less than the critical value of 3.80. Thus, null hypothesis was accepted. Therefore, there is no significant difference between bio-plastic and the commercial one in terms of tensile strength. Also t-test independent was used in biodegradability test where the computed t value is 4.00 and it is less than the critical value of 4.30. Hence there is also no significant difference between the two in terms of biodegradability.

DISCUSSIONS

Results show that bio-plastic has almost the same results with commercial plastic. With that, the researchers concluded that the Melon (Cucumis Melo)Peel Bio-plastic can be a good alternative for petroleum plastic products and can be further improved to be a usable bio-plastic product.