Virtual Booth

Malaysia faces growing environmental issues from food waste, significantly from agricultural by-products, posing a notable challenge to sustainability. Simultaneously, the gardening sector produces large amounts of plastic pollution through its extensive use of polybags. The EcoGrow Pot addresses both critical problems by transforming fruit waste into biodegradable, eco-friendly plant pots, offering a groundbreaking alternative to plastic containers. This study investigates whether agricultural biomass waste, bound in a plasticized durian seed starch matrix, can form a durable seedling pot that withstands nursery watering and fully biodegrades in soil to prevent microplastic pollution and transplant shock. It was hypothesized that a composite containing 30 wt% lignocellulosic fibers (sugarcane bagasse, fruit peels) reinforced in durian starch bio-resin (plasticized with glycerol and acetic acid) would provide necessary structural strength and achieve complete soil biodegradation within 12 weeks. Native starch extracted from discarded durian seeds was blended with pulverized banana, orange, pineapple peels, and sugarcane bagasse. The dough was heat-cured into seedling pots and tested for water absorption, water retention, and 12-week soil burial degradability. Results showed a 35.02% water absorption rate. The soil burial study demonstrated progressive breakdown: initial matrix softening by Weeks 2–4, major fragmentation by Weeks 6–8, and total degradation by Week 12. In conclusion, the EcoGrow Pot validated the hypothesis, offering a functional, eco-friendly alternative to plastic pots that eliminates transplant shock and advances Sustainable Development Goal 12.

Keywords: EcoGrow Pot, Biodegradable Seedling Pot, Durian Seed Starch, Sugarcane Bagasse, Soil Degradability, Agricultural Waste Upcycling.