Herin, a biodegradable bioplastic composite packaging film was prepared by utilizing bamboo powder partially in replace of plastic. Bamboo powder lignocellulose and polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) resin granules were mixed together with certain percentage to form bamboo-plastic complex, and then through hotpressed to obtain the bamboo/PBAT bioplastic composite films. The effect of bamboo powder content on overall properties of the composite film was systematically investigated. Results showed that the addition of bamboo powder could greatly improve the mechanical properties of composite films, especially the tensile strength and elastic modulus increased by 18.90 %, 251.58 %, respectively. Besides, the bioplastic composite film exhibited superior water resistance including the high water contact angle value of 108.13 degrees, low water absorption rate (2.38 %), and water absorption thickness expansion rate (1.08 %) with 10.0 % bamboo powder content. Notably, the enhanced bonding between bamboo powder and PBAT contributed to the excellent gas barrier performance (1.48 x 10- 2 cm3 & sdot;m/(m2 & sdot;24 h & sdot;0.1 MPa)). With the increase of bamboo powder addition, the melt flow rate of the composite was increased, indicating the improved processing performance. More importantly, the bamboo/PBAT bioplastic composite film showed good packaging preservation ability for strawberry and excellent biodegradability in soil, presenting feasible and green alternatives to biodegradable plastic food packaging material.

Thin plastic films used for packing food materials are unsafe for consumers and are not readily degradable. Single-use plastic films accumulate in the environment and cause adverse effects in the food chain. In this study, Kappaphycus alvarezii, which has the value-added polymer carrageenan, was used for developing a bioplastic film along with the plasticizer polyethylene glycol (PEG 3000). Different concentrations of seaweed were used (3%, 4% and 5% dry weight), of which 4% had a higher tensile strength than the other concentrations. The physical and mechanical properties of the developed plastic films, such as thickness, tensile strength (TS), water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), oxygen transmission rate (OTR) and color, were tested for packaging applications in the food industry. A higher concentration of seaweed increased the WVTR, and a lower concentration increased the OTR. In addition, the biodegradation of the developed bioplastic was tested using isolated deep-sea microbial consortia to meet environmental standards. A deep-sea marine microbial consortium (Bacillus paralicheniformis G1, Bacillus subtilis G2, Bacillus subtilis Z1, and Enterobacter cloacae subsp. dissolvens Z2) degrades seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii)-derived bioplastic under buried soil conditions. The maximum degradation (88%) in the 5% (w/v) bioplastic film was observed within 10 days of incubation.