Development of Biodegradable Bioplastic from Banana Pseudostem Cellulose

David A. Servellón, Fabrizzio R. Pérez, Enrique Posada-Granados, Marlon Enrique López and Marvin J. Núñez ()
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David A. Servellón: Centro de Educación e Investigación en Ciencias Aplicadas (CEICA), Departamento de Desarrollo Científico, Dirección de Educación Técnica y Tecnológica, Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología, San Salvador 01101, El Salvador
Fabrizzio R. Pérez: Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de El Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador
Enrique Posada-Granados: Laboratorio de Farmacotecnia, Departamento de Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, Facultad de Química y Farmacia, Universidad de El Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador
Marlon Enrique López: Programa de Mejoramiento Genético de Banano y Plátano, Fundación Hondureña de Investigación Agrícola (FHIA), San Pedro Sula 2067, Honduras
Marvin J. Núñez: Laboratorio de Investigación en Productos Naturales (LIPN), Facultad de Química y Farmacia, Universidad de El Salvador, San Salvador 01101, El Salvador

J, 2025, vol. 8, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: Banana pseudostem is an abundant lignocellulosic residue with potential for value-added applications. This study evaluated five banana varieties to determine their suitability for bioplastic production, with Williams showing the highest cellulose yield (26.99% ± 0.23). Cellulose extracted from this variety was combined with corn-starch (1:1 w / w ) to synthesize a bioplastic through gelatinization and lyophilization. FTIR confirmed effective removal of lignin and hemicellulose from the pseudostem and evidenced new hydrogen-bond interactions between cellulose and starch through O–H band shifts (3335 → 3282 cm −1 ). SEM revealed a porous laminar morphology with cellulose particles (40–52 µm) embedded within the starch matrix. DSC analysis showed that the bioplastic exhibits an intermediate thermal profile between its components, while mechanical compression increased the endothermic transition temperature (from 69 °C to 85 °C) and reduced molecular mobility. Tensile testing demonstrated that compression markedly improved mechanical performance, increasing tensile strength from 0.094 MPa to 0.69 MPa and density from 110 to 638.7 kg/m 3 . These findings indicate that cellulose–starch bioplastics derived from banana pseudostem possess favorable structural, thermal, and mechanical characteristics for short-use applications. The approach also contributes to the valorization of agricultural waste through biodegradable material development.

Keywords: banana pseudostem; starch/cellulose bioplastic; FTIR–SEM characterization; agricultural waste (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I1 I10 I12 I13 I14 I18 I19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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