Synthesis of Biodegradable Plastic Film from Waste Sheep Hair keratin and Corn Starch
| dc.contributor.advisor | Sintayehu Nibret (PhD) | |
| dc.contributor.author | Kewani Alemseged | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-02-14T09:39:12Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-02-14T09:39:12Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-09 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This study presents the synthesis of a biodegradable plastic film from waste sheep hair keratin and corn starch. Biodegradable plastic films were prepared by first extracting keratin from waste sheep hair and mixing the keratin with corn starch in the starch to keratin ratio of 10:90, 30:70, 50:50, 70:30, and 90:10. The as-prepared biodegradable plastic films were characterized by using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and UV-Visible spectroscopy. In addition, the effect of operating parameters (processing temperature, processing time and starch to keratin ratios) on the tensile strength and elongation at break of the plastic film were studied. The highest tensile strength (2.37 MPa) was achieved at a processing temperature of 80 °C, a processing time of 30 minutes, and a keratin-to-starch ratio of 30:70. This value is comparable to bioplastics produced from various starch types with glycerol as a plasticizer and without fillers, which typically exhibit tensile strengths ranging from 0.22 to 18.49 MPa. The biodegradability test revealed that the biofilms can be degraded within five days showing the biodegradability potential of bioplastic film from waste sheep hair and corn starch and their future application and capability of replacing fossil fuel-based plastics. The study demonstrates that the prepared bioplastics exhibit good transparency, are safe and environmentally friendly due to their biodegradability, and can be applied in household items, decorations, grocery bags, and related applications. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/7659 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | |
| dc.subject | Biodegradable Plastic | |
| dc.subject | Keratin | |
| dc.subject | Starch | |
| dc.subject | Waste Sheep Hair | |
| dc.title | Synthesis of Biodegradable Plastic Film from Waste Sheep Hair keratin and Corn Starch | |
| dc.type | Thesis |