Utilization of fruit waste to produce biodegradable polymer composites

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.