Turning Biomass into Bioplastic

Plastics that are made from petrochemicals have good barrier properties, stiffness, tensile strength and tear strength so that they can be widely used as packaging materials. Although these petro-based plastics have great demand, they equally have disadvantages like non-biodegradability, which further causes environmental pollution. Bioplastics are derived from renewable biomass sources such as agricultural byproducts like rice straw, corn cobs, jackfruit seeds, etc. These biobased plastics are biodegradable and environmentally friendly. For this reason, many companies are researching, manufacturing, and processing plastics made from renewable resources to move to a sustainable position. Disposable items like packaging, tableware, cutlery, and straws are made of bioplastic and can replace petro plastic. Along with this agro byproduct, waste rubber products, including gums from babool and Moringa, are added to enhance their mechanical strength and elasticity. This chapter can give an overview of the development of biodegradable bioplastics from agricultural waste, the techniques used, and their advantages and disadvantages over petro-based plastics.