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Enhancement in the Physico-Mechanical Functions of Seaweed Biopolymer Film via Embedding Fillers for Plasticulture Application—A Comparison with Conventional Biodegradable Mulch Film
oleh: Hasan M, E.W.N. Chong, Shima Jafarzadeh, M.T. Paridah, Deepu A. Gopakumar, H.A. Tajarudin, Sabu Thomas, H.P.S. Abdul Khalil
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2019-01-01 |
Deskripsi
This study aimed to compare the performance of fabricated microbially induced precipitated calcium carbonate– (MB–CaCO<sub>3</sub>) based red seaweed (<i>Kappaphycus alvarezii</i>) bio-polymer film and commercial calcium carbonate– (C–CaCO<sub>3</sub>) based red seaweed bio-film with the conventional biodegradable mulch film. To the best of our knowledge, there has been limited research on the application of commercial CaCO<sub>3</sub> (C–CaCO<sub>3</sub>) and microbially induced CaCO<sub>3</sub> (MB–CaCO<sub>3</sub>) as fillers for the preparation of films from seaweed bio-polymer and comparison with biodegradable commercial plasticulture packaging. The results revealed that the mechanical, contact angle, and biodegradability properties of the polymer composite films incorporated with C–CaCO<sub>3</sub> and MB–CaCO<sub>3</sub> fillers were comparable or even superior than the conventional biodegradable mulch film. The seaweed polymer film incorporated with MB–CaCO<sub>3</sub> showed the highest contact angle of 100.94°, whereas conventional biodegradable mulch film showed a contact angle of 90.25°. The enhanced contact angle of MB–CaCO<sub>3</sub> resulted in high barrier properties, which is highly desired in the current scenario for plasticulture packaging application. The water vapor permeability of MB–CaCO<sub>3</sub> based seaweed films was low (2.05 ± 1.06 g·m/m<sup>2</sup>·s·Pa) when compared to conventional mulch film (2.68 ± 0.35 g·m/m<sup>2</sup>·s·Pa), which makes the fabricated film an ideal candidate for plasticulture application. The highest tensile strength (TS) was achieved by seaweed-based film filled with commercial CaCO<sub>3</sub> (84.92% higher than conventional mulch film). SEM images of the fractured surfaces of the fabricated films revealed the strong interaction between seaweed and fillers. Furthermore, composite films incorporated with MB–CaCO<sub>3</sub> promote brighter film, better water barrier, hydrophobicity, and biodegradability compared to C–CaCO<sub>3</sub> based seaweed polymer film and conventional mulch film. From this demonstrated work, it can be concluded that the fabricated MB–CaCO<sub>3</sub> based seaweed biopolymer film will be a promising candidate for plasticulture and agricultural application.