THE APPLICATION OF RICE STRAW-BASED PLA/NR BIOCOMPOSITE AS GREEN PLANTING BAGS

This study’s primary objective was to observe the growth of marigold seedling in biodegradable planting bags made from polylactic acid (PLA), natural rubber (NR), and rice straw (RS) film, as well as the biodegradation of the bags during planting. The flexible PLA/NR/RS film was produced using a PLA/NR blend ratio of 70:30 percent by weight (wt%) as a matrix and filled with RS at 3, 5, and 10 wt%. All PLA/NR/RS biocomposite films were produced via an extrusion casting method. To examine the growth efficiency of marigold seedlings in biodegradable planting bags, marigold seedlings were transferred into PLA/NR/RS biocomposite bags. After being planted for 90-days, the stalk diameter and dry mass of the marigold seedlings grown in the PLA/NR/RS biocomposite bags tended to increase with increasing RS content. The biodegradability of all PLA/NR/RS biocomposite bags was measured by how much weight each bag lost after marigold seedlings were planted in it. The amount of rice straw in PLA/NR/RS biocomposite bags was found to affect how much weight they lost. Maximum weight loss was observed when the film contained 10 wt% RS fiber, which corresponded to the lowest PLA molecular weight assessed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC).