Biofoam product development from combination of cassava peel starch and ramie fiber (Boehmeria nivea, L)

Ramie fiber (Boehmeria nivea, L.) is fiber with a firm texture and a large cellulose content which is commonly found in Indonesia. The study was conducted to determine the effect of adding ramie fiber on biofoam properties derived from cassava peel starch. Biofoam were baked by a thermopressing process in an oven at 200°C. Fiber was added with variations of 0%, 10%, 20%, 40%, and 60% from the weight of starch. The result showed that the addition of fiber can improve biofoam properties. The study showed that R3, biofoam with 20% fiber additional, give the best biofoam properties with a density value of 0.426 g/cm3, moisture content value of 10.974%, water absorption value of 7.707%, degradation value of 28.955% for 14 days, tensile strength to 0.893 MPa, and compressive strength to 0.062 MPa.