Development and characterization of ester modified endospermic guar gum/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blown film: Approach towards greener packaging

With growing environmental concerns, the biopolymer-based film provides a suitable substitute for sustainable packaging applications. In this article, guar gum based bioplastic films were prepared by taking various ratios of Polyvinyl Alcohol with guar gum along with Octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) and plasticizer followed by blown film extrusion process to encourage industrial-scale production. The films were prepared with the utilization of pre-treated guar gum powder, Polyvinyl alcohol and OSA at various weight ratios with the help of blown film extruder. The temperature zone of the extrusion machine was maintained from feeding zone to metering zone with optimized processing parameters. After the production of film, characterization studies such as mechanical, thermal and morphological properties were analyzed. The tensile strength of films was gradually improved in the machine direction due to modified OSA in GG/PVA having good tear resistance whereas, the percentage of failure is less during dart impact test. The thermal characterization reveals the transition temperature exceeding due to modification. The morphological analysis also supports better compatibility between GG with PVA with improved chemical interaction, as established by FTIR analysis. The contact angle test was carried out to measure the hydrophobicity, which suggest improved characteristics suitable for packaging application.