The Effect of Addition of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) on Biodegradable Plastic Based on Bacterial Cellulosa from Coconut Water (Coconus Nucifera)

Abstract

Plastic was the most widely used polymer in life and causes environmental pollution, plastic cannot be destroyed quickly and naturally by destructive microbes in the soil. Therefore research has been carried out on biodegradable plastics by utilizing bacterial cellulose (BC) produced by Acetobacter xylinum with coconut water media and with the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) plasticizers. The addition of plasticizer was done by immersion of BC in the various PEG concentration and molecular weight, namely: PEG 400 3.5%; 7%; 10.5%; 14% and PEG 4000, 6000 10.5%. The results showed that the water content and the degree of swelling of BC-PEG decreased as in created the more concentrations and molecular weights of PEG added. The degradation of BC-PEG plastics was be affected by the concentrations added to BC, the higher the concentration used then the degradation would increase. The highest quality of plastic was obtained from BC-PEG 400, 10.5% with tensile strength of 4.46 kN / m. Furthermore, the FTIR analysis of BC-PEG showed the existence of functional groups in bacterial cellulose namely: O-H, C-H, C=H,C-O-C, and there are no new functional groups appeared in the BC-PEG plastic. And small increasing in showed that the degree of crystallinity obtained from BC-PEG plastic.