Abstract:
Polymers play an essential and ubiquitous role in everyday life due to their extraordinary range of properties.
However, Polymer wastes create formidable problems to the society today. Biodegradable polymers are
significant and of great importance for the future of the planet. Biodegradation is the decomposition of
polymer materials by microorganisms. Biodegradable Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) based composite was
prepared by adding pectin as the main additive. Pectin was extracted using passion fruit waste. The
biodegradability imparted by pectin can be improved by incorporating natural enzymes. Papain and
Bromelain were two natural enzymes extracted from fruits of papaya and pineapple waste. The extracted
products were analysed and characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). These
extracted natural enzymes can be used to produce biodegradable LDPE — Pectin polymer composite to
preserve the environment for future generations.
