The plastic was created using mashed banana peel, glycerol and chitosan.

Antara news agency reported that the invention of Himawan Auladana, Sellyan Lorenza Orlanda Putri, Abis Rinaldi, Nano Retnowati and Rizki Septian Candra was different from other plastics, as it was created using bacteria and biotin; elements that help the plastic degrade faster, making it more environmentally friendly.

 “We hope to be able to help saving the environment a little,” Rizki said.

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The team is partnering with business that makes banana crackers in Gondanglegi in Malang, which produces up to 100-200 kilograms of banana peel waste per day.

According to journals, banana peel is regarded as agricultural waste that has not been processed optimally. It is also known as a material that has a high amount of starch (between 27 and 30 percent), a substance that could be used as plastic material.

Through a 22-day laboratory test, it was revealed that Biokuping had reached 75 percent degradation, much faster than regular plastic, which usually takes hundreds of years to reach the same level of degradation. It is also claimed that Biokuping has durability equal to synthetic plastic found in the market.

The team is hopeful that Biokuping, a product that has been patented, can be widely utilized by the public. (mas/kes)