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Enhancement of Antimicrobial Activity and Mechanical Properties of Bioplastic
Extracted from Blady Grass Doped with Chitosan, Glycerol and
Polyvinyl Alcohol
Tengku Izzat Safwan Bin Tengku Sulong
Supervisor: Dr. Mohd Sabri Bin Mohd Ghazali
Bachelor of Applied Science (Electronics and Instrumentation Physics)
School of Ocean Engineering
In this research, we are enhancing bio-plastics to ensure that the bio-plastics are in a
convenient state to be used as a food packaging. The bio-plastics are doped with
chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and glycerol which can improve the chemical and
physical mechanics of the bio-plastics and environmental-friendly. Cellulose, which is
the main constituent for the bio-plastics, is extracted from blady grass and will undergo
delignification process. FTIR analysis proved that the obtained cellulose is pure, and
via XRD analysis proved that the bio-plastics shows amorphous properties. From
antimicrobial test, the bio-plastics are suitable to be used as a food packaging which
shows that the inhibition zone of the bacteria for the bio-plastic specimens is existed
and by the addition of PVA and glycerol, bio-plastics can improved its mechanical
properties. As cellulose is treated as its base, the plastic afford to degrade faster than
the petroleum-based plastic.
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