Production of bioplastic from waste agricultural biomass

Augustina Ogochukwu Ugozor; Angela Chika Udebuani; Onyekachi O. Nnorom

doi:10.29333/ejosdr/16248

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Augustina Ogochukwu Ugozor ¹ ² ^* , Angela Chika Udebuani ¹ , Onyekachi O. Nnorom ¹

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¹ Federal University of Technology, Owerri, NIGERIA² Northeastern University, Toronto, CANADA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study investigates the production of bioplastics from plant waste materials, specifically bean peel, plantain peel, and wooden wine cork, using an acid-alkaline pulping method to extract cellulose. The extracted cellulose was bleached, and its purity was confirmed through Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Bean peel showed the highest cellulose yield (45.5%), followed by plantain peel (38.0%) and wooden wine cork (20.0%). The cellulose was converted into cellulose acetate via acetylation, with bean peel yielding 80% cellulose acetate. FTIR analysis revealed significant functional groups, and the degree of substitution for cellulose acetate ranged from 1.25 to 2.76. Biodegradation tests demonstrated significant weight reduction in the bioplastics over four weeks, confirming their biodegradability. This research underscores the potential of using plant waste as a sustainable raw material for bioplastic production, contributing to waste management and the reduction of plastic pollution.

Keywords

bioplastics
agricultural biomass
cellulose extraction
sustainability
biodegradation
plastic pollution

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EUR J SUSTAIN DEV RES, Volume 9, Issue 2, 2025, Article No: em0285

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/16248

Publication date: 03 Apr 2025

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Article Downloads: 26

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How to cite this article

APA

Ugozor, A. O., Udebuani, A. C., & Nnorom, O. O. (2025). Production of bioplastic from waste agricultural biomass. European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 9(2), em0285. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/16248

Vancouver

Ugozor AO, Udebuani AC, Nnorom OO. Production of bioplastic from waste agricultural biomass. EUR J SUSTAIN DEV RES. 2025;9(2):em0285. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/16248

AMA

Ugozor AO, Udebuani AC, Nnorom OO. Production of bioplastic from waste agricultural biomass. EUR J SUSTAIN DEV RES. 2025;9(2), em0285. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/16248

Chicago

Ugozor, Augustina Ogochukwu, Angela Chika Udebuani, and Onyekachi O. Nnorom. "Production of bioplastic from waste agricultural biomass". European Journal of Sustainable Development Research 2025 9 no. 2 (2025): em0285. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/16248

Harvard

Ugozor, A. O., Udebuani, A. C., and Nnorom, O. O. (2025). Production of bioplastic from waste agricultural biomass. European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 9(2), em0285. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/16248

MLA

Ugozor, Augustina Ogochukwu et al. "Production of bioplastic from waste agricultural biomass". European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, vol. 9, no. 2, 2025, em0285. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/16248