Abstract

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Environmental safety has become a paramount concern across various sectors in recent decades due to the widespread use of synthetic polymers in the manufacturing of plastics, leading to an increased risk of environmental pollution. This underscores the need for environmentally friendly composite materials that offer superior mechanical performance compared to traditional materials. These specific properties have promoted the use of composites in numerous industries, including automotive, sports, construction, packaging, and biomedical applications. Growing awareness of the environmental issues caused by synthetic materials has stimulated interest in developing sustainable, eco-friendly composites, particularly those incorporating renewable resources such as natural fibres and biopolymers. This research focuses on the development of green composites derived from potato peel waste (PPW), specifically a starch-based plastic (SBP) matrix reinforced with baobab fibres, with a view to using materials and processes with minimal ecological impact. Starch-based plastic was synthesised from sweet potato starch and plasticised using sorbitol. The matrix was reinforced with varying amounts of baobab fibres to enhance its mechanical properties. The composites were characterised using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and tensile testing. The results demonstrated that the incorporation of baobab fibres into the starch-based plastic matrix significantly improved tensile strength and elongation at break, indicating the potential of this green composite for diverse industrial applications.

Keywords: Potato Waste plastic Resin, Baobab Fibres, Mechanical Performance, packaging applications and Green Composite.