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A Sustainable Transparent Packaging Material from the Arecanut Leaf Sheath

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Abstract

Purpose

Synthetic, non-degradable packaging materials have become a severe environmental threat, and therefore the demand is growing for environmentally friendly materials for sustainable packaging.

Methods

This study presents a feasible method of developing a novel, sustainable packaging material using the Arecanut leaf sheath (ALS). CarboxyMethyl Cellulose was coated on the material for improving its mechanical properties. The results were compared with those of polythene: the most commonly used packaging material.

Results

The novel material has an areal density of 132.5 g per square meter and 1 mm thickness. The material also possesses a tearing strength of approximately 71% of polythene and exhibits approximately 5% elongation at failure. The bursting strength of the material was found to be three times higher (0.3 kg/cm2) than that of polythene (0.1 kg/cm2). The constitutive behaviour of the material was found to be orthotropic. The breaking force of the material was approximately 70% and 22% of polythene in lengthwise and widthwise directions, respectively. The transmittance of the material varied from 54 to 68% in the visible spectrum. Novel material shows a good thermal stability where initial degradation occurred in the temperature range of 200–375 °C.The tensile behaviour was also numerically modelled using the commercial finite element code LS-DYNA. The predicted stress–strain behaviour of the novel material by the numerical model is in close agreement with experimental results.

Conclusion

ALS holds promise as a raw material in the development of transparent, sustainable packaging materials for a wide array of applications.

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Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Textile & Clothing Technology, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Katubedda, 10400, Sri Lanka

    D. G. K. Dissanayake, Dakshitha Weerasinghe, T. D. R. Perera & M. M. A. L. Bandara

  2. School of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Sydney, Darlington, NSW, Australia

    Dakshitha Weerasinghe

  3. Division of Polymer, Textile & Chemical Engineering Technology, Institute of Technology, University of Moratuwa, Pitipana, Sri Lanka

    S. K. T. Thathsara & S. Perera

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  1. D. G. K. Dissanayake
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  2. Dakshitha Weerasinghe
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  3. T. D. R. Perera
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Correspondence to D. G. K. Dissanayake.

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Dissanayake, D.G.K., Weerasinghe, D., Perera, T.D.R. et al. A Sustainable Transparent Packaging Material from the Arecanut Leaf Sheath. Waste Biomass Valor 12, 5725–5742 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-021-01382-5

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