Properties of EB crosslinked biodegradable Sago-starch foams

Starch, produced in abundance, biodegradable is cheap and can be obtained from many renewable sources). In South Asia, sago starch, produced from pith of sago palm, is a useful resource and an important product for commercial raw materials and foodstuff. The sago starch is also abundant especially in East Malaysia. Malaysia is the principle exporter of sago starch to the world market. With its abundant availability, sago is offering an attractive candidate for use in development of biodegradable starch-based composites. The potential of producing biodegradable foam from blend of sago starch and water-soluble polymers was investigated. Blends with various formulations of sago starch and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) polymers were prepared and subjected to radiation modification using electron beam irradiation. The effect of irradiation on the blends was evaluated and reported. Some characteristics of irradiated tapioca starch were also studied for comparative purposes. Foams from these blends were produced using microwave oven and its properties such as expansion ratio, hardness and others were characterised. The results suggested that irradiating the blends between 15 to 20 kGy could produce the high linear expansion of fown. Sago on its own degraded upon irradiation. However, gel content results suggest that crossing was achieved in sago blends upon the electron beam irradiation. Sago-PVP blends gave a relatively more rigid towns while flexible foam can be obtained from sago-PVA blends. 1-lighter PVA content in the blends was found to improve the resilience of the foam. Sago on its own degraded upon irradiation. However, gel content results suggest that crossing was achieved in sago blends upon the electron beam irradiation. Sago-PVP blends gave a relatively more rigid towns while flexible foam can be obtained from sago-PVA blends. Higher PVA content in the blends was found to improve the resilience of the foam