Vol.12 (2022) No. 1 ISSN: 2088-5334 Potency of Utilizing Sago Starch as Natural Resource from Papua in the Production of Biodegradable Plastic Yane O. Ansanay a , Dirk Y.P. Runtuboi b,* , Estiko T. Wiradyo c a Physics Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Cenderawasih, Jayapura, 99351, Indonesia b Biology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Cenderawasih, Jayapura, 99351, Indonesia c Papua Provincial Forest and Conversation Office, Jayapura, 99116, Indonesia Corresponding author: * dirk.runtuboi@fmipa.uncen.ac.id Abstract— The use of conventional plastic has become a priority in various aspects of life but has contributed to environmental problems from the aspect of managing plastic waste. In this study, the feedstock of Sago Starch from Papua was utilized for its potency to produce biodegradable plastic by varying several parameters of chitosan, glycerol, and acetic acid at different levels. The optimum biodegradable plastic characterization of tensile strength of 7.41 MPa, elongation at break corresponding to 24.17%, and the fastest of 40 days durability of completely removed wastes of degradable plastics were achieved. Based on the results obtained, it was concluded that the strength of biodegradable plastic was affected by the amount of chitosan added, while the level of breaking downlinked to elongation at break and degradable period was related to the amount of glycerol as plasticizer used. Acetic acid was found to improve the solubility of the starch by acting as a catalysator, therefore making the homogenization become easily achieved. In addition, the SAS model was used to perform the interaction of all parameters to the characterizations measured of tensile strength and elongation at break. Hence, statistically, all glycerol, chitosan, and acetic acid parameters significantly affected biodegradable plastics characterizations (p < 0.05). By utilizing the right production technology through the stages of feedstock preparation, heating, chemical mixing, and printing, it is expected to produce good quality of biodegradable plastic, eco-friendly product and feasible to support the development of the economic sector in Papua. Keywords— Sago; biodegradable plastic; characterization; eco-friendly product; Papua. Manuscript received 18 Jan. 2021; revised 27 Mar. 2021; accepted 21 May 2021. Date of publication 28 Feb. 2022. IJASEIT is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License. I. INTRODUCTION Biodegradable plastic is an alternative eco-friendly packaging product that has been intensively developed over the last two decades. Bioplastic is degradable material that pose no harm to the environment [1]–[4]. Biodegradable plastic is formed from biopolymer; a polymer derived from natural, renewable resources and crude oil [5]–[8]. One of the renewable sources for plastic production that is accessible globally and widely available in Indonesia is starch [1]– [4]. Starch is obtained by extracting vegetable substances that contain carbohydrates, such as corn, Sago, cassava, rice straw, sweet potatoes, sorghum, taro, and pineapple skin waste [4], [7], [9]–[12]. Biodegradable plastic manufacturing technologies are being developed worldwide, reviewed by several groups [3], [13]. However, in Indonesia, starch-based biodegradable plastic manufacturing technology has recently developed. When considering to develop starch-based bioplastic, several parameters to take into account may include a plasticizer, chitosan, acid as a catalysator, reaction time and temperature [3], [7], [8], [14]. Types of plasticizers that are commonly used are glycerol, gelatin, sorbitol. Chitosan can be extracted from crab and oyster shells. Acid was used in many studies to enhance plastic’s transparency [15], [16]. In order to maintain strong mechanical properties while considering the softened structure of bioplastic, it is crucial to conduct the proper study. One of the potential raw sources for starch is Sago. However, sago starch has been dominantly processed into food products despite its high potential to be used as biodegradable plastic raw material. Sago has unique functional characteristics which allow the starch to be examined for various purposes, both as food and non-food [4]. The Indonesian sago areas across the country are estimated at 1 million hectares. Meanwhile, the national sago starch potential is estimated to reach 2.5 million tons per year and has not been used optimally. 353