Production of Bio-degradable Thermoplastic Starch Composites Blended with Natural Rubber and Marketing Surveys Opportunity of the Product

The present work is to prepare the bio-degradable packaging based on thermoplastic starch composites filled with fillers, namely pulp-cellulose from SCG paper Co., Ltd. and bamboo pulp from Lok-jood community, Narathiwat. Also, the natural rubber is added to the material for elasticity proposed. The work aims to increase the values of industrial and agricultural wastes by using as the additional chemicals for improving mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of the new product since the thermoplastic starch is so brittle. The fabrication processes are the preparation of thermoplastic starch from the mixing of cassava starch and selected solvent at the proper condition. This enables the starch to perform recycling processes as the thermoplastic material with the study of concentration of pulp-cellulose, bamboo pulp and natural rubber. The properties of the thermoplastic starch composites in terms of strength, hardness, impact strength, water swellable, weathering resistance, bio-degradable rate and antibacterial properties were examined. The selected formulation was then fabricated as the packaging through thermoforming process and tested the practical properties collaborated with Thai Progress Packaging Co., Ltd. Not only the preparation of the bio-degradable packaging, the present work aims to analyze the marketing surveys opportunity of the product for each occupation and age society in both B2B and B2C models. The statistic results by means of product design, degradable rate and cost were then reported. Therefore, the main goal of the work is to produce the new innovative packaging material that can be used and increase the business value of the food packaging platform since the waste from industry, agricultural society and the natural material which produced inside the country has been applied.