The Comparison Effect of Sorbitol and Glycerol as Plasticizing Agents on the Properties of Biodegradable Polyvinyl Alcohol/Rambutan Skin Waste Flour Blends

Abstract

The comparison effect of glycerol and soritol as plasticizing agents on properties of biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH)/rambutan skin waste flour (RWF) films were studied. Results showed that the glycerol-plasticized films exhibited higher elongation at break, but lower tensile strength and Young's modulus than sorbitol-plasticized films. Water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) was increased with the addition of plasticizing agents. The glycerol-plasticized films showed higher WVTR which indicated that glycerol had more positive contribution to water affinity compared to sorbitol. Biodegradability test revealed that the weight loss of unplasticized PVOH/RWF films was lower than glycerol- and sorbitol-plasticized PVOH/RWF films.

Keywords:

• Glycerol
• Plasticizing agent
• Polyvinyl alcohol
• Rambutan skin waste flour
• Sorbitol

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the USM fellowship and the Research University grant. (Project No. 1001/PBAHAN/814065).