Abstract:
Petroleum-derived plastic packaging is one of the major environmental
pollutants, which persists for centuries and causes severe harm to wildlife. To
address this challenge, a composite film was made entirely from renewable
biopolymers, including cellulose and beeswax, via solution casting. For the
preparation of biopolymer, Cellulose, which is dissolved or dispersed in a
solvent, was mixed with molten beeswax, then cast and dried into thin films. The
film’s water dissolution time was recorded by adjusting the beeswax content, on
the order of ~10 seconds up to ~1800 seconds (∼30 minutes), reflecting the
increased hydrophobic barrier provided by the wax phase. In Toxicity assays
were conducted using Artemia salina larvae to assess the environmental safety of
the developed films. Each test concentration (10, 100, 1000, 10,000, and 100,000
ppm) included 10 larvae per replicate and was performed in triplicate, using
artificial seawater as the control (0% mortality observed). The highest tested
concentration (100,000 ppm) resulted in a maximum mortality of 43.33% ±
5.77%, while lower concentrations showed ≤7% lethality in most cases. One-way
ANOVA revealed that mortality rates at lower concentrations were not
significantly different from the control (p > 0.05), indicating statistically
negligible toxicity under standard conditions. The experimental setup involved
exposing A. salina larvae to 300 µL of each test solution in sterile 96-well plates
for 24 hours at room temperature, without aeration or feeding. These results align
with the known behaviour of cellulose-based materials, which fully biodegrade
under natural conditions and show no adverse effects on algae, daphnids or fish
at high concentrations. Overall, nano-infused cellulose–beeswax films combine
tunable functional performance (from water solubility to barrier properties) with
confirmed biodegradability and low ecotoxicity. This synergy of designed
functionality and environmental safety makes them promising materials for eco
friendly packaging applications.
