Preparations of Nano Cellulose Particles from Agricultural Wastes for Eco-Friendly Biodegradable Take Away Bowls for Food

The fabrication of eco-friendly, nano cellulose particle (NCP)-based take away bowls using agro wastes has hardly been investigated in the literature. In this study, NCP was prepared from Palmyra fruit waste, wood apple shell, and pepper spikes using a combination of physiochemical treatments. After each treatment, the morphology and purity of NCP were confirmed using electron microscopic techniques and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The average diameter of prepared NCP was 1–10 nm. Palmyra NCP had the highest yield (53 ± 0.51%) and crystallinity (96%) and hence was selected for further studies. Then, NCP-Bioplastic pellets with different combinations of NCP, polylactic acid (PLA), and thermoplastic starch (TPS) were developed via compounding, extrusion, and injection molding. NCP-Bioplastic strips with 60% NCP, 30% PLA, and 10% TPS had enhanced mechanical, thermal, and biodegradation properties and reduced oxygen and water vapor transmission rates compared to neat PLA. The developed NCP-Bioplastic strips had a contact angle of >93°; hence, it is also suggested for packing wet food products. Therefore, the present investigation has verified the potential for substituting synthetic plastic with nano cellulose-based bioplastic in the production of take away bowls.