Effects of Rice Husk Ash Loadings on the Tapioca Starch-based Film Composite

Plastics are majorly produced from petrochemicals which lead to several problems such as the depletion of fossil fuel and environmental pollution due to their nature of being non-biodegradable and overflowing landfills. To overcome this problem, researchers have begun to develop bioplastic which is plastic made from a renewable source such as starch. However, the starch-based bioplastic is moisture sensitive due to its hydrophilic nature, which makes it easily swells in water and leads to a decrease in its tensile strength. Therefore, modification of the starches polymer matrix was conducted by blending starch with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), with the addition of glycerol as a plasticizer and rice husk ash (RHA) as filler. The produced film composite was then subjected to tensile test and swelling test. It was found that the presence of RHA improved the mechanical properties of the film composite by increasing the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the film. The integral stability of the film composite also increased which was displayed through a decrease in the swelling percentage. RHA with 9 wt.% yielded a film composite with better strain without jeopardizing its strength and waterproofing property. Disciplinary: Polymer Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Sustainable Technology. (C)2021 INT TRANS J ENG MANAG SCI TECH.