Answer to Question #41289 in Organic Chemistry for sabariswaran

Question

Is it possible to produce bio-plastics using tapioca or maize starch?

Answer 1

Yes, it is possible.
Bioplastics produced from starch (thermoplastic starch) constitutes about 50 percent of the bioplastics market. So the thermoplastic starch, currently represents the most widely used
Flexibiliser and plasticiser such as sorbitol and glycerine are added so the starch can be processed thermo-plastically. By varying the amounts of these additives, the characteristic of the material can be tailored to specific needs. Simple starch plastic can be made at home.
The starch of any origin may be used for this aim, including maize starch and tapioca starch.
Industrially, starch-based bioplastics are often blended with biodegradable polyesters. These blends are mainly starch/polycaprolactone or starch/polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate and remain compostables.