Sugarcane waste transformed into eco-friendly, self-plasticizing bioplastics
Scientists used sugarcane leftovers to make a type of plastic called cellulose acetate. They separated the cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin from the bagasse in a special way. The cellulose they got was mainly cellulose (94%) with some hemicellulose (5%), a bit of lignin (0.2%), and ash (1%). By treating the cellulose with chemicals, they turned it into cellulose acetates. By studying these new plastics closely, they found that the hemicellulose from the sugarcane can be used as a natural plasticizer, making the plastics both flexible and eco-friendly. This means that agricultural waste like sugarcane leftovers can be used to create valuable, sustainable plastics.