| Abstract Scope |
The study to develop and characterise bio-composite material for food packaging applications has been investigated. Bio-composite polylactic acid (PLA) and Bambara groundnut shells (BGS) were prepared by solution cast method with varying weight percentages (1, 5, 10, 15 and 25 wt%) of BGS. The structural, morphological, mechanical and thermogravimetric behaviours of the control and the developed bio-composite were characterised via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), tensile testing, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The specimens were further investigated for water absorption (WA), water vapour permeability (WVP), wettability, food contact migration (FCM), and soil burial biodegradability (SBD) properties. Results showed that the bio-composite recorded maximum tensile strength of 34.9MPa with 5wt% BGS, an increase of 16.1%. It was observed that wettability, WA, WVP and SBD of the bio-composite increased with increase in the BGS filler content and the FCM did not surpass migration limit |