Penggunaan plastik telah banyak membantu kehidupan manusia, namun saat ini keberadaanya dialam berada dalam jumlah yang mengkhawatirkan. Mayoritas plastik yang bersifat sekali pakai serta proses penguraian yang lambat membuat plastik menumpuk dan mencemari lingkungan. Disisi lain, Indonesia merupakan negara dengan tingkat konsumsi tahu yang tinggi. Produksi tahu menghasilkan whey yang biasa dibuang dan mencemari lingkungan. Alternatif penyelesaian terhadap dua masalah ini melalui pembuatan bioplastik. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan variasi terbaik bioplastik dari limbah cair tahu dengan penambahan kitosan dan gliserol. Penelitian dilakukan menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap Faktorial dua faktor (massa kitosan dan volume gliserol) dengan 9 variasi perlakuan. Karakterisasi bioplastik dilakukan terhadap parameter ketebalan, sifat mekanik, dan daya serap air. Hasil analisa menunjukkan hasil karakterisasi terbaik terdapat pada bioplastik perlakuan kitosan 2.3 g dan gliserol 1.5 mL atau K2G2. Variasi K2G2 yang memiliki rerata ketebalan 0.056 mm, kuat tarik sebesar 0.1625 kgf.cm-2 , perpanjangan putus sebesar 45%, modulus elastisitas sebesar 0.0036 kgf.cm-2 , dan daya serap air sebesar 26.08%. Kata kunci: daya serap air, ketebalan, kuat tarik, modulus elastisitas, perpanjangan putus

Plastic has been widely used as single-use package and carrier material due to its low price, strength, practicality, and versatility. On the other hand, plastic requires a long period to naturally decompose. Nowadays, a huge number of plastic wastes have caused detrimental impacts to the global environment, hence a more environmentally benign substance of making plastic is a significant importance. This study proposed the production of biodegradable material from nata de soya, which is composed from whey waste using melt intercalation method. This environmentally-friendly substance was mainly obtained from tofu industry byproduct which is known as ‘whey’, through fermentation process using Acetobacter xylinum bacteria. Melt intercalation method was used to obtain desired texture and characteristic, the step was the fermented product mixed with chitosan, acetic acid, glycerol, and tapioca starch, with various range of concentration. The mixed component then underwent milling and drying process for finalization. As for characteristic of the materials, tested parameters include solubility, water resistance, and biodegradability in the environment. Our results showed the potential of this material to substitute the use of plastic and is applicable for versatile purposes. Water resistance was up to 95 minutes, and the material was able to be completely degraded in around 60 days.