EFFECT OF CALCIUM CARBONATE (CaCO3) ADDITIVES ON THE QUALITY OF CELLULOSE-BASED BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS BACTERIA-POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL (PEG)OF COCONUT WATER (Cocos nucifera)

Abstract

Biodegradable plastics are plastics that are easily degraded by microorganisms. This study aims to determine the effect of adding calcium carbonate additives to biodegradable plastics based on PEG bacterial cellulose from coconut water (cocos nucifera) and to determine physical, mechanical dan biodegradable properties. This study use 14% polyethylene glycol 400 as a plasticizer with variations in the volume of CaCO3, namely 2 gr, 4 gr, 6 gr and 8 gr. The results of testing the physical properties obtained are the value of % water content and the degree of swelling decreases with the addition of the volume of CaCO3. The maximum result from testing the mechanical properties obtained is the addition of 8 gr CaCO3 with a tensile strength value of 54,85 MPa, which already meets the SNI standard for synthetic plastic, which is in the range of 24,7-302 MPa, the elasticity value obtained is 849,42 MPa and 6,25% elongation value. In the biodegradation test, it was found that the 15 day burial was degraded by more then 50%, where the more CaCO3 was added, the plastics biodegradability decreased, but this is much better than plastic mad from synthetic materials, which can take decades. The functional group analysis using FTIR showed thet there were no new functional groups formed and the results of analysis of the degree of crystallinity on biodegradable plastics obtained that the degree of crystallinity of pure SB plastic was 83,75%, SBPEG was 70,68% and SBPEG-CaCO3 8 gr was 77,78%.