The use of plastics has increased due to the increase in population and applications
in various industries. However, fossil fuel-based plastics have caused environmental
issues and health hazards due to their non-degradable behavior. To resolve the on-going
crisis of these non-degradable polymers, biopolymers have been considered as potential
substitutes. Starch is being researched as a polymer matrix to develop bioplastics. Starch
is abundant, but due to its poor water barrier and mechanical properties, other materials
need to be incorporated in the matrix to improve the material properties. Natural fillers,
plasticizers, essential oils, nanoparticles, or polymer blends are materials that can be used
in starch-based bioplastics. Adding these materials enhances the mechanical and barrier
properties. This review summarizes the recent developments in starch-based bioplastics
and biocomposites and discusses the types of starch used, fillers, essential oils, and
nanoparticles, explaining how they improve the mechanical, barrier, antibacterial, and
biodegradability properties. Furthermore, many of the research products show potential to
be used in industrial applications like packaging and agriculture. This review also discusses
the potential of starch bioplastics in industrial applications like packaging, automotive applications,
biomedical applications, electronics, construction, textiles, and consumer goods.
This review also discusses the environmental impact of starch-derived bioplastic products,
the life cycle, biodegradation, and recycling process. The circular economy of bioplastics,
the economic feasibility of large-scale products, and regulation were also discussed, along
with their challenges and the future perspectives of starch-based bioplastics.

Title

Materials

Publisher

MDPI

Publisher Country

Switzerland

Indexing

Thomson Reuters

Impact Factor

3.2

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

18

Year

2025

Pages

1762