Design of an Automated Dosing and Mixing System for the Production of Biodegradable Biomass Based on Sweet Potato Starch and Sugar Cane Fiber

The food sector consumes a large part of the world's packaging production, 35% of which is discarded after the first use. However, most of this packaging is made from fossil fuel feedstock plastics. The continued production of plastic packaging represents a series of negative impacts on the environment in terms of air, soil, and water, all due to its long degradation time and chemical composition. To mitigate this impact, new materials based on plant biomass have been used to find an eco-friendly substitute for traditional plastic packaging. To streamline and optimize the processes of dosing and to mix ingredients during the production of biodegradable trays, this research proposes the design of an automated mixing system for obtaining biodegradable biomass based on starch and vegetable fiber. The system was controlled by a PLC S7-1200 and monitored through an HMI interface, and the software structure was designed in the TIA Portal program. Finally, the system was commissioned and simulated in the Factory I/O software, where a process plant was recreated to simulate the signals from the water level sensors of the agitator tank and the weight sensors of the quantities of the ingredients to be dosed, also to activate actuators such as the agitator and the tank filling and dosing valves.