Plastics are a wide class of polymer composites that use polymers as a major

ingredient. The class of synthetic polymers includes polyethylene (PE) (used in

plastic bags), postreform (PS) (used in Styrofoam cups), polypropylene (PP) (used in
fibre and bottle), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polytetrafluoroethylene or Teflon
(PET) (used in food packages, bottles and drain pipes), Meanwhile, semi-synthetic
polymers are obtained from natural polymers by subjecting them to a chemical
process; this includes natural materials which have been modified and combined
with other materials. An example of this is cellulose acetate, a reaction product
between cellulose and acetic anhydride used to make films. The plastics are made of
carbon and hydrogen. In addition, the plastics can contain other elements, such as
sulphur, silicon, chloride, fluorine and phosphorus. Plastic is manufactured in various
forms and is a material that can be adapted for many different applications. In
addition to the cheap production process, this suitability, combined with a variety of
beneficial properties such as light, durability and flexibility has led to widespread use
in today’s society. As far as product packaging is concerned, packaging plays a role
in product holdings and food safety for the food industry.
All plastics can be divided into two main categories, thermosetting and
thermoplastics, according to their reactions to heating. Thermoplastics are plastics
that can be melted and melded by heating, and when cooled, take the shape in
which they were formed. If the formed thermoplastic is reheated, it softens and melts
again. Known thermoplastics are polyacrylates, polyesters, polyolefins, polyamides,
etc. These polymer materials are used to produce packaging, disposable utensils,
carpets, laboratory instruments, clothing and other goods. In contrast to
thermoplastics, thermosetting plastics are irreversibly hardened by curing from soft
solid or liquid resins. Curing is induced by heat or radiation and may be promoted
with the addition of catalysts (hardener). Heat does not need to be applied externally,
because it is often generated by the reaction of the resin with hardener. Curing
results in chemical reactions that create cross-linking between polymer chains to
produce an infusible and insoluble network. If the cross-linked thermosetting plastics
are reheated, they will not soften or melt, but will remain in the form in which they
were formed. Typical examples of thermosetting resins are liquid polyesters used in
fiberglass products and melamine-formaldehyde resins used in Formica-based
kitchen worktops.
Most modern plastics are synthesized from fossil petrochemicals such as natural gas
or oil. However, such plastics are resistant to biodegradation and, therefore, their
widespread use leads to the accumulation of a huge amount of plastic waste.
According to a 2016 plastic industry report global plastic manufacture has expanded
by 8.6 percent each year since 1950, from 1.5 million tonnes to more than 330
million tonnes. Non-decomposed plastic enters our ecosystem and pollutes the
environment, reduces soil fertility and leads to the death of millions of animals
Recently, the industry has started using natural and renewable materials such
as fats and vegetable oils, gluten [7], egg white protein [8] and sago starch [9,10] in
the manufacture of plastic to produce bioplastic. Bioplastics are defined as materials
that are bio-based, biodegradable, or both. This approach substantially decreases
the total carbon dioxide balance as the CO2 emitted during the processing, usage
and recycling of plastics is balanced by the CO2 absorbed during the plant growth
cycle. Moreover, petroleum, at a continuously increasing price, being substituted by
renewable raw materials from agriculture, is very economical [11]. Bioplastics can
also be generated using bacterial micro-organisms and often nanometer-sized
particles, particularly carbohydrate chains (polysaccharides) [12]. Bioplastics are an
important necessity now in many industrial applications, including food processing,
agriculture, compost bags and sanitation. However, bioplastics have poorer values,
unlike their synthetic counterparts. Therefore, much research is being carried out on
exploring new green polymer materials to fulfil the increasing market for bio-based
and biodegradable polymers.
At present, many scientists and engineers worldwide are very interested in
bioplastics because of their vulnerability and water exposure, lack of good relation, a
low melting point relative to plastic petroleum [13]. However, the development of
bioplastics is hampered by higher costs of production compared to traditional plastics
[11]. They cost two to three times as much as conventional plastics, and their
manufacture is plagued by low yields and high costs. Some bioplastics have a
shorter lifetime than oil-based plastics due to poorer mechanical features, such as
more water vapour permeability than conventional plastic, being easy to rip like
tissue paper, being very brittle, and having poor mechanical and barrier capabilities
[14]. Thus, the production of additives, such as polymer and composite mixtures, to
enhance biodegradability is typically explored in order to make bioplastics
sustainable and to boost their properties. Where polymer composites or
biocomposites are used, different forms of fillers are also researched, including
inorganic fillers (e.g., calcium carbonate and nanoclay) and natural fibers (wood and
plant fibres) [15]. Currently, numerous studies use plant waste as a biofiller. Bashir
and Manusamy [16], for example, utilized widely available sugarcane bagasse fibre
as a biofiller to improve the mechanical characteristics of recycled poly(ethylene
terephthalate) (PETr). Furthermore, nanomaterials such as nanoclay have been
employed to improve the thermal stability of starch-based bioplastics [17]. According
to Harunsyah et al. [18], a bioplastic made from cassava starch, clay nanoparticles,
and the plasticizer glycerin exhibited intriguing mechanical features such as
transparency, clarity, homogeneity, flexibility, and ease of handling. Furthermore, the
interfacial bonding between the biofiller and polymer matrix influences the polymer
matrix’s characteristics. It has been discovered that biofiller-reinforced polymer
composites have greater mechanical characteristics than unfilled polymer [19].
Therefore, this paper provides some insights on various approaches for the study of
bioplastics and biocomposites, especially in food packaging applications. This review
article also focuses primarily on exploring all possible uses of natural fibers with a
view towards implementation in the bioplastic industry through sustainable
engineering technology.