Use Of Potato Starch (Solanum Tuberosum L.) As The Main Ingredient For Manufacturing Biodegradable Plastic To Reduce The Use Of Conventional Plastic

Abstract

The use of plastic in everyday life is as a packaging material that is most easily obtained by the public. Increasing use over time can cause environmental problems resulting from plastic waste that is commonly used by society. Plastic waste comes from chemicals that have properties that are difficult for microorganisms in the soil to break down. One way to overcome the use of conventional plastics that are difficult to decompose is to produce plastics from materials that can be easily decomposed by microorganisms in the soil, such as the starch contained in potatoes. The aim of this research is to determine how potato starch can be made into biodegradable plastic and to determine the effectiveness of using biodegradable plastic made from potato starch to reduce environmental pollution. This research uses several tests to obtain maximum results such as air resistance tests, biodegradability tests and organoleptic tests. The results showed that in the air resistance test of samples of different sizes the best sample could be found, namely the one with the formula of 5g potato starch, 50ml water, 15g glycerin and no vinegar. In the biodegradability test, the best sample was obtained from a sample containing 10g of potato starch, 100ml of water, 15g of glycerin and 30g of vinegar. Meanwhile, in the organoleptic test, the best sample was obtained when the sample was given 7.5g of potato starch, 100ml of water, 15g of glycerin and 7.5g of vinegar.