During the last years, many efforts have been taken into measures and done to prepare

biodegradable plastics that does not pollute the environment by the disposal of synthetic
plastics. This is because many plastics that were made create problems toward the
environment. Biodegradable plastics can completely be degraded in the soil without the
emission of toxic gases by the microorganisms. However, every advantages must have
disadvantages. Biodegradable plastics may have their advantage since it can be
degraded completely, but they possess a relatively low strength. Starch functionalities
and properties depend mainly on their source, molecular weight and relative proportions
of amylose as well as amylopectin. With the use of plasticizers, commonly known as
glycerin, starch granules can be converted into thermoplastic form by thermal and
mechanical treatments. Based on studies, it is indicated that the chemical nature and
proportion of plasticizer strongly influences the physical properties of processed starch
(Sreekumar, P.A., Leblanc, N., & Saiter, J.M., 2012).

Starch is inexpensive natural biopolymer which possesses such characteristics which is

totally biodegradable in a wide variety of environments. However, prior to the production
of biodegradable plastics, the native structure of starch should be suitably modified. Since
starch is a multi-hydroxyl polymer, there are vast intermolecular and intramolecular
hydrogen bonds that is considered starch as not a true thermoplastic. The addition of
plasticizer such as glycerin at high temperatures (90°C-180°C) affects the mechanical
properties of thermoplastic starch. Plasticizer could form the hydrogen bond interaction
with starch and weaken the interaction of starch molecules. Addition of glycerin improves
the mechanical properties of biodegradable plastics elongation at break but excess
addition can lead to decrease of tensile strength of composite. The study explained that
with increasing the glycerin content (phr) from 20 to 30 phr, the tensile strength of the
composite was increased. But after the addition of 40 phr glycerin and 50 phr glycerin,
the tensile strength decreased. When the glycerin is not enough to destructerized starch,
it will result in the poor mechanical strength and elongation at break on 20 phr (M.Z.B.
Yunos & W.A.W.A. Rahman, 2011).
Glycerin modifies the state of starch to a highly deformable material. The tensile strength
of thermoplastic starch having glycerin content at 20 phr was high due to the
antiplasticization effect. Incorporation of high amount of glycerin in starch network on the
other hand, reduces the direct interactions and the proximity between starch chains. This
causes the interaction to become weak and reduces the intermolecular as well as
intramolecular forces. This reduction increases the free volume of polymer and molecular
mobility of amorphous and partially crystalline polymers. Therefore, at higher content of
glycerin under tensile strength, the movements of starch chain occur and improves their
flexibility. In addition, there is a possibility of phase separation between amylose and
amylopectin in starch with higher glycerin content. This is due to an easier conformational
mobility of the components in the presence of excess glycerin (Sreekumar, P.A., Leblanc,
N., & Saiter, J.M., 2012).
Yunos, M. Z. B., & Rahman, W. A. W. A. (2011). Effect of glycerol on performance rice
straw/starch based polymer. Journal of Applied Sciences, 11(13), 2456-2459.

Sreekumar, P. A., Leblanc, N., & Saiter, J. M. (2013). Effect of glycerol on the properties
of 100% biodegradable thermoplastic based on wheat flour. Journal of Polymers and the
Environment, 21(2), 388-394.