Valorización de la cascara de la cúrcuma (cúrcuma longa) en la elaboración de bioplásticos

Abstract

This research aimed to evaluate turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) for bioplastic production. Using the 2k factorial design, four treatments were carried out to obtain starch by wet method, and the best starch's physical, chemical and microbiological properties were analyzed. Four treatments, T1, T2, T3 T4, were proposed for the production of bioplastic, with different amounts of water, starch, and glycerol, keeping acetic acid constant; the plastic sheets obtained were subjected to physical, chemical and mechanical tests, in addition, the sheets were exposed to three environments for 35 days to determine their biodegradability. It was obtained as a result that the T4 treatment was the one that presented the best performance in the extraction of turmeric starch, reaching 9.695%; from the physical-chemical analysis, it was obtained that most of the properties did not conform to the standard quality of starch. When characterizing the bioplastic, it was found that the results for the properties of thickness, length, width and permeability did not differ significantly between the treatments. In contrast, for solubility, the T3 treatment achieved the highest percentage with 46.46%, and the T2 and T4 treatments achieved the highest percentage. The lowest moisture percentage (16.33% and 16.71%, respectively) represent the optimal values for each property. During the mechanical tests, it was observed that the T1 and T2 treatments have a higher load capacity when tested. Regarding the decomposition capacity, it was observed that the most effective procedure was T3 for the aquatic environment and land, while for the air, it was T1. In conclusion, the plastics obtained in the four treatments are optimal. However, to improve the biofilm's physical, chemical and mechanical properties, it is recommended to modify the proportions of acetic acid, glycerol and water.