The Effect of Drying Temperature Variation on the Production of Porang Starch Bioplastics with Sorbitol Plasticizer on Mechanical and Thermal Properties

The objective of this work is in order to investigate how the mechanical properties of bioplastics synthesized from chitosan and porang starch with sorbitol plasticizer are affected by varying drying temperatures. According to the study's findings, changes in drying temperatures significantly affect the mechanical properties of these bioplastics. This research provides valuable insights for developing environmentally friendly packaging alternatives of various drying temperatures starting from 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, 70°C. The results of mechanical characterization show that at 50°C with 40% sorbitol, the plastic possesses a 17.32% elongation and 2.66 MPa tensile strength. At 50°C with 60% sorbitol, the tensile strength reaches 1.34 MPa and elongation is 34.43%. Meanwhile, at 65°C with 80% sorbitol, the tensile strength is 1.59 MPa and elongation reaches 37.80%. The plastic is also thermally tested using TGA-DTA, morphologically tested using SEM and its functional divisions are analyzed using FTIR to obtain further data about its properties.