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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sustain.
Sec. Alternative Materials
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frsus.2024.1410986
This article is part of the Research Topic Waste Products as an Alternative Construction Material: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities View all articles

Eco-Friendly Bio-Composite SheetsPlates: A Study on the Utilization of Banana Peels, Cassava Starch, and Banana Stem Fibers

Provisionally accepted
Gamunu Samarakoon Gamunu Samarakoon 1*Ishara G.K.K Ishara G.K.K 2Pabasari A Koliyabandara Pabasari A Koliyabandara 2*
  • 1 University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), Kongsberg, Norway
  • 2 University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Massively using conventional plastics has led to significant environmental issues, including harm to ecosystems, wildlife, and human health, contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, and resource depletion through their extraction and production. Thus, there is an urgent imperative to seek sustainable alternatives like bio-composites. This research established the viability of banana peels and cassava starch for eco-friendly bio-composite sheetsplates, offering insights into their properties and performance. The bio-composite materials were prepared with different compositions of the mentioned biowaste (weight base). The bio-composite materials, composed of banana peels, cassava starch, banana stem fiber, glycerol, and acetic acid, were prepared in different weight-based proportions. The preparation process involved cleaning, drying, blending, and molding the materials to produce consistent bio-composite samples. The properties and performance of the composite samples were assessed for water absorption, moisture content, and tensile strength. Notably, the combination of banana peels and cassava in a 1:2 ratio, along with banana stem fiber, demonstrated favorable attributes, including reduced water absorption (ranging from 6.42% to 30.91%), desirable moisture content (ranging from 8.06% to 11.27%), and increased tensile strength (ranging from 5.345 MPa to 11.892 MPa). This research confirms the potential of using banana peels and cassava starch to produce bio-composite sheetsplates, providing a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics. These findings confirm the viability of using banana peels and cassava starch in producing bio-composite sheets, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics. This study contributes to the field of sustainable materials by providing insights into the properties and performance of bio-composites, thereby supporting the development of eco-friendly bio-composite sheets. alternatives for various applications.

    Keywords: Bio-composite, Banana peels, Banana stem fiber, Cassava starch, sustainability, alternative materials

    Received: 02 Apr 2024; Accepted: 23 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Samarakoon, G.K.K and Koliyabandara. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Gamunu Samarakoon, University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), Kongsberg, Norway
    Pabasari A Koliyabandara, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, 10250, Sri Lanka

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.