Effect of the Safety of Chitosan Additive to Biodegradable Plastic Quality Based on Cellulose of Bacterial Glycerol from Coconut Water (Cocos Nucifera)

Plastics are the most widely used polymer in life and cause global plastic pollution in the marine environment. This research aimed to make biodegradable plastics by utilizing bacterial cellulose produced by Acetobacter xylinum in coconut water media with the addition of 3.5% glycerol as plasticizer and soaking in chitosan additive (2%, 4%, 6%, 10%). Bacterial cellulose fermentation produced sheets of 0.5–1 cm thickness, which were soaked in chitosan for 3 days. The resulting bacterial cellulose–glycerol–chitosan plastics were characterized by water content test, tensile strength test, and crystallinity test (X-Ray). Results showed that higher chitosan concentration reduced water content, increased tensile strength, and decreased crystallinity percentage.