An Investigatory Project of Seaweed as Alternative Bioplastic

Vol.3, No.1D

Abstract

Seaweeds could be used to make films directly and with derivatives such as agar, carrageenan, and alginate. Seaweed films formed without chemical treatment are promising, but the field is still beginning, and more research is needed. Seaweeds have numerous advantages over all other biomass in that they do not need fertilizers or large land use and grow quickly, cleanly, and cheaply. Seaweeds can be blended with other seaweed species or materials to improve their characteristics and properties. In a sense, using seaweeds as a biomass material to replace conventional plastic is a promising approach that can contribute to the economy and promote eco-friendly green production methods that are more environmentally friendly than traditional extraction methods for producing seaweed films. This study analyses the practicability of forming seaweed films and their viability of enhancing the bioplastic market using new green technologies. The research design used for this study was quantitative-experimental research while utilizing simple random techniques. The statistical treatment used for this study was a T-test to determine the difference between the two groups of respondents. Using a questionnaire as the research instrument, the researchers surveyed to identify the level of acceptability of the model in terms of construction materials, procedural methodology, durability, and presentation. The study's respondents are 5 Chemical Engineers and 5 Environmental Engineers. Seaweeds can form films directly or using their derivatives like agar, carrageenan, and alginate. Seaweed films formed directly without chemical treatment are promising, but the field is still new, and more research is needed. Seaweeds have numerous advantages compared to other biomass, where they do not need pesticides or wide land use and can grow fast, are easy to harvest, and are cheap. 

Seaweeds can also be mixed with other species or materials to improve their characteristics and properties. Hence, using seaweeds as biomass material is a promising approach to replace conventional plastic that can contribute to the economy and be eco-friendly, as Lim et al. (2021) also mentioned. The study results regarding construction materials, procedural methodology, durability, and presentation are highly acceptable. The acquired overall mean of the Chemical Engineers is 3.66, interpreted as Very highly acceptable, and Environmental Engineers have an overall mean of 4.17, Interpreted as very highly acceptable. The t-critical was 1.86, and the t-computed was -1.320. It indicates no significant difference between the assessments of the two groups of respondents.