Optimization of Biodegradable Foam Composites from Cassava Starch, Oil Palm Fiber, Chitosan and Palm Oil Using Taguchi Method and Grey Relational Analysis

The objective of this work was to investigate properties of biodegradable foam manufactured from cassava starch containing the combination of additives. The mix proportions of starch foam composites were designed using Taguchi method. L16 orthogonal array with three factors i.e. oil palm fiber content, chitosan content and palm oil content at four-levels each was chosen for optimization. Based on the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio results, oil palm fiber and palm oil enhanced the flexural strength and water resistance of starch foam composites. Addition of chitosan reduced the density and increased the flexibility of samples. The analysis of variance of results indicated that chitosan was the major parameter influencing density, flexural strength and water absorption index. The oil palm fiber and palm oil were main parameters affecting water solubility index. The multi-linear regression models were developed to predict the properties of starch foam composites. The best mix proportion of starch foam composite was obtained from Grey relational analysis. The starch foam composite could be used as an alternative packaging for dry material.