Production of Pectin-Cellulose Biofilms: A New Approach for Citrus Waste Recycling

• Published in: International Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 2017; no. 2017; pp. 1 - 9
• Main Authors: Taherzadeh, Mohammad J., Lennartsson, Patrik R., Åkesson, Dan, Jabbari, Mostafa, Bátori, Veronika, Zamani, Akram
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2017; Hindawi; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Acids; Anaerobic conditions; Biodegradability; Biofilms; Biopolymers; Carbohydrates; Cellulose; Cellulose fibers; Chemistry; Citrus; Citrus fruits; Drinking water; Drying ovens; Food; Food packaging; Gelation; Glycerol; Mechanical properties; Methods; Pectin; Polymers; Recycling (Waste, etc.); Resource recovery; Tissue engineering; Waste disposal; Waste management; Sweden
• ISSN: 1687-9422; 1687-9430; 1687-9430
• DOI: 10.1155/2017/9732329

While citrus waste is abundantly generated, the disposal methods used today remain unsatisfactory: they can be deleterious for ruminants, can cause soil salinity, or are not economically feasible; yet citrus waste consists of various valuable polymers. This paper introduces a novel environmentally safe approach that utilizes citrus waste polymers as a biobased and biodegradable film, for example, for food packaging. Orange waste has been investigated for biofilm production, using the gelling ability of pectin and the strength of cellulosic fibres. A casting method was used to form a film from the previously washed, dried, and milled orange waste. Two film-drying methods, a laboratory oven and an incubator shaker, were compared. FE-SEM images confirmed a smoother film morphology when the incubator shaker was used for drying. The tensile strength of the films was 31.67 ± 4.21 and 34.76 ± 2.64 MPa, respectively, for the oven-dried and incubator-dried films, which is within the range of different commodity plastics. Additionally, biodegradability of the films was confirmed under anaerobic conditions. Films showed an opaque appearance with yellowish colour.