Evaluación de la biodegradabilidad en suelo de bioplásticos producidos a partir de colocasia esculenta (malanga blanca) y manihot esculenta (yuca)

Abstract

The low biodegradation of traditional plastics poses a problem in their misuse and disposal, as it renders them highly resistant to the environment and leads to contamination issues in soils and water sources. Therefore, we evaluated the biodegradability of bioplastics derived from Colocasia esculenta and Manihot esculenta in soil. Initially, we utilized bibliographic information to determine the appropriate methodology for starch extraction from the tubers and the production of bioplastics. The required materials included starch, distilled water, sodium chloride, vegetable oil, carboxymethylcellulose, glycerin, and acetic acid. The mixture was dried in an oven at 65°C for 24 hours. Subsequently, soil samples were collected from three sectors: Chimborazo River, San Andrés, and the Faculty of Natural Resources-ESPOCH. Finally, we analyzed the soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. The experimental phase for the biodegradability tests involved designing three experimental units for each type of bioplastic. Each unit was subdivided into twelve cells for each soil sample. Six grams of the sample and the biopolymer were placed in each cell. We maintained control parameters such as ambient temperature, soil moisture, and the weight of the sheets placed in the samples, which were measured every seven days for 47 days. Subsequently, we compiled all the obtained data to determine the superior degradability of the biopolymers. For example, the bioplastic made from white malanga showed a degradation rate of 48.8% in the soils of the Chimborazo River, while cassava bioplastic exhibited a lower degradability percentage of 13.5%. In conclusion, using renewable raw materials in our experiment resulted in an environmentally compatible impact. The data indicated a 74% reduction in contamination and a restoration of the soil environment.