Biodegradable containers from rice husk as substitutes for single-use plastic products

Abstract

Vietnam ranks among the top four nations for single-use plastic (SUP) waste, trailing only China, Indonesia, and Philippines. The abundant rice husk (RH) by-product of rice cultivation presents an opportunity to fabricate biodegradable containers, potentially supplanting single-use disposables. This study focuses on creating biodegradable containers from RH via thermo-pressing. Utilising the Taguchi orthogonal array method, we examined the impact of the RH to modified starch (MS) ratio (w/w %), pressing temperature (°C), and time (minutes) on the trays’ hardness, colour variation, and density, aiming to refine the manufacturing process. Additionally, variations in adhesive concentrations and glycerol were assessed for their influence on the aforementioned properties. The identified optimal conditions for fabricating viable biodegradable containers were a RH and MS composition of 80% (w/w), with a pressing duration of 3 minutes at 150°C. The resulting product exhibited a hardness of 5.26±0.22 kgF. Moreover, the thickness, density, and colour on the front and back sides were measured at 2.05±0.01 mm, 0.97±0.004 g/cm³, 50.87±0.96, and 48.05±0.87, respectively. Consequently, RH-based materials have emerged as promising candidates for crafting consumer-safe, environmentally benign biodegradable containers.