Abstract

The degradability of plastic has been a serious challenge to man and its environment prompting the need for an intervention in the form of biodegradable plastics. Some of the challenges include; environmental pollution, microplastic contamination, toxic chemical leaching and greenhouse gas emission. This study focuses on the extraction of cellulose from oil palm pressed fiber (OPF) and its subsequent conversion into cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and cellulose acetate for bioplastic synthesis which will solve some of the listed challenges. The uniqueness of this cellulose-based bioplastic is the fact that toxic chemical leaching would not be a problem as it does not utilize harmful chemicals such as phthalates and BPA (Bisphenol A). The materials and methods include the isolation of cellulose from OPF through chemical treatments, CNC production through maleic acid hydrolysis, cellulose acetate preparation, and bioplastic synthesis. Experimental analyses cover percentage yield determination, hemicellulose and lignin determination, proximate analysis, and functional property evaluations. The results highlight the successful extraction of cellulose, with hemicellulose being the major component, and the subsequent production of CNC and cellulose acetate. The bioplastic synthesized demonstrated significant degradation of an average mass of 86.26% over a 28 days period, indicating its environmental friendliness. Mechanical properties such as hardness shows that the higher the content of glycerol, the less the hardness; tensile strength increased as the amount of glycerol was increased showing a remarkable strength of 6.08 MPa as the minimum (without glycerol) exceeding the minimum value of 1.343 MPa according to the Biodegradable plastic standard SNI 7818:2014; elongation characteristics showed the interaction between glycerol and the cellulose acetate increased the stretching ability of the bioplastic but further addition of the glycerol only caused a slightly significant elongation. XRD and SEM analyses revealed changes in crystallinity and morphology during the bioplastic synthesis process. FT-IR spectra confirmed the chemical modifications, and the degree of substitution for cellulose acetate was determined. The study provides valuable insights into the sustainable utilization of OPF for eco-friendly bioplastic production with desirable mechanical and degradation properties.