Biodegradable materials based on plant polysaccharides for food packaging. Part 1

Every day, more than 4 billion bags of synthetic polymers are used in the world, with an average use time of about 20 minutes, while the decomposition time of this type of material in compost is about 100-500 years. The solution to this problem can be achieved by creating a biodegradable composite material based on plant biopolymers that could break down. This direction is currently relevant due to the constantly increasing volumes of production of polymers and polymer products that lead to environmental pollution (today, polyethylene and products made from it make up 40 % of household garbage), the issues of their utilization are becoming a global environmental problem for the biodegradation of material into safe substances under the influence of the environment. The purpose of this study was to study the properties of a biodegradable polymer based on corn starch and cellulose fiber, by selecting the optimal technological parameters and the ratio of component composition to obtain a film material with improved characteristics close to the analog of the packaging product and at the same time having a biodegradable ability. Therefore, to solve this problem, we used the selection and variation of the ratio of organic components in the composite matrix of the suspension, the analysis of technological parameters and step-by-step mixing, and heat treatment to form gel-like suspensions to obtain biodegradable films with improved characteristics. In the course of our research, we found that sample 2 has the best indicators (1.5 % corn starch/ 0.5 % cellulose/ 0.2 % sodium alginate). The film material is translucent, Matt, the surface is uniform without defects, has increased elasticity with high strength. The resulting film material can be used to create packaging materials for the food industry to reduce the environmental burden.