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Chemistry Project

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Name : N. Ahmed Ishhaq

Teachers Name : MR.K. Subramaniam

Schoo : Push!aata "idya Mandir

Cass : #II $ A

Project : %iode&radabe Pastics

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Certi'cate

This is to certi(y that N. Ahmed Ishhaq o(

cass #II o( Push!aata "idya Mandir) Tirune*ei

has com!eted his !roject 'e under my

&uidance. She has ta+en !ro!er care and sho,n

utmost sincerity in the com!etion o( this !roject.

I certi(y that this !roject is u!to my

e-!ectation and is as !er the &uideines issued

by C%S.

K. Subramaniam

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Ac+no,ed&ement

I ,oud i+e to e-!ress my s!ecia than+s to

my teacher Mr. +. Subramaniam as ,e as our

!rinci!a) Mrs. Push!a*eni Ayya!an ,ho has

&i*en me a &oden o!!ortunity to do this !roject

on the to!ic %iode&radabe !astics ,hich he!ed

me in doin& a ot o( researches and &ain+no,ed&e on di/erent areas (or ,hich I am *ery

than+(u to them.

Secondy) I ,oud aso i+e to than+ my

!arents and (riends ,ho he!ed me (or 'nai0in&

this !roject ,ithin the imited time (rame.

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Contents

Co*er !a&e

Certi'cate

Ac+no,ed&ement

Contents

Introduction

%iode&radabe Pastics

Ad*anta&es

1isad*anta&es -am!es

-!eriments

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Introduction

Biodegradable plastics have an expanding range

of potential applications, and driven by the growing

use of plastics in packaging and the perception

that biodegradable plastics are environmentally

friendly their use is predicted to increase.

However, issues are also emerging regarding the

use of biodegradable plastics and their potentialimpacts on the environment and effects on

established recycling systems and technologies.

Harmful effects of plastics on environment:

. !he light weight and high consumption of plastic

bags and their ability to persist for long periods of

time in the environment without decomposingmade them one of the main factors of pollution in

the open spaces, public s"uares, main roads

inside and outside cities, sea beaches and water.

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#. !he easy evaporation and wide use of plastic

bags also distort the general appearance of the

places where they are.

$. %hen plastic bags stick to trees and plants they

obstruct the natural light from reaching parts of the

plant causing impairment to the process of

photosynthesis.

&. 'lastic bags cause diseases and even death tothe cattle that come across and eat them during

pasture.

(. Burying of plastic bags in soil makes an

insulating layer that keeps rainwater in the upper

part of the soil and prevents water and other

fertili)ers from reaching its lower part.

*. 'lastic bags create a fertile environment for the

growth of infectious bacteria.

+. ccumulation of plastic bags in water blocks the

irrigation canals and drainage networks.

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%iode&radabe Pastics

Biodegradable plastic is plastic that decomposesnaturally in the environment. !his is achievedwhen microorganisms in the environmentmetaboli)e and break down the structure ofbiodegradable plastic. !he end result is one whichis less harmful to the environment than traditionalplastics. Biodegradable plastics can be composed

of bio-plastics, which are plastics made fromrenewable raw materials. !here are normally twoforms of biodegradable plastic, inection molded

and solid. !he solid formsnormally are used foritems such as food containers, leaf collectionbags, and water bottles

Making Biodegradable Plastic

Biodegradable plastics are made from allnatural plant materials. !hese can include:corn oil, orange peels, starch, and plants.!raditional plastic is made with chemical fillers

thatcan be harmful to the environment whenreleased when the plastic is melted down.%ith biodegradable plastic, you get asubstance made from natural sources thatdoes contain these chemical fillers/ they donot pose the same risk to the environment.

!he process of making biodegradable plastics

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begins with the melting down of all thematerials. !hat mixture is then poured intomolds of various shapes such as plastic waterbottles and utensils.

Regular Plastic VS Biodegradable Plastic

fter formation, regular plastics hold carbon.%hen they are disposed of and begin todecompose or when they are melted, thatcarbon is then released into the atmosphere.

Biodegradable plastics do not release carbon,

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because no carbon is involved in themanufacturing process. 0ethane and otherforms of pollutants could also be releasedfrom traditional plastic when they are recycledand burned. !his is not the case withbiodegradable plastics, which do not containthose polluting materials. 1ne of the manypositive aspects of biodegradable plastics is

that they are able to be broken down bynaturally occurring bacteria, which again willbe beneficial to the environment. side from aslightly higher cost to produce, biodegradableplastics hold many advantages over standardplastics, with a lesser impact on the

environment being one of its greatestadvantages.

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Ad*anta&es

. Biodegradable plastics take less time tobreak down

Biodegradable packaging and biodegradable bags

take much less time to break down after being

discarded, if they havent been recycled, of course.

%hat this means is that it gets absorbed in the

earth, and there will no longer be tons of plastic

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dominating our landfills.

#. Biodegradable plastics are renewable

Biodegradable plastics are made from biomass,

which is a completely renewable resource. 2t is an

organic compound, which breaks down. !here is

plenty of it around the globe. Biomass includes

trees, plants, grass, and all organic materials that

decompose. !his may even include animal fats,meats, and other tissues.

$. Biodegradable plastics are good for the

environment

Biodegradable plastics are much better for the

environment, because there is no harm done to

the earth when recovering fossil fuels. lso, in this

process there are very few greenhouse gas and

harmful carbon emissions. 3egular plastics need

oil for their manufacturing, which pollutes the

environment.

&. Biodegradable plastics require less energy

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to produce

Biodegradable plastics need less than half the

energy to produce than their non-biodegradable

counterparts. !his means that it is possible to

make twice the amount of biodegradable

packaging and biodegradable bags using the

same amount of energy.

(. Biodegradable plastics are easier to recycleBiodegradable plastics are created from materials

that are fully biodegradable. !his means that they

can break down much faster and recycling them

takes less energy. Biodegradable plastics can be

reused more efficiently, which gives them a clear

advantage.

*. Biodegradable plastics are not toxic

!raditional plastics are full of harmful by-products

and chemicals, which are released during their

breakdown process. Biodegradable plastics are

completely safe and do not have any chemicals ortoxins. !his plastic harmlessly breaks down and

gets absorbed into the earth. 4uch advantages of

bioplastics are of extreme importance, as the toxic

plastic load on the earth is growing and at this rate

will cause a whole range of problems for future

generations.

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+. Biodegradable plastics reduce dependence

on foreign oil

!he use of biodegradable plastics will decrease

the countrys dependence on other countries for

fossil fuels. !he maority of the oil that is needed to

make regular plastic comes from the 0iddle 5ast,

which has not always been friendly toward the

6.4. Biodegradable plastics are created fromdomestic biomass materials, so it reduces the

dependence on foreign oil, providing a domestic

solution instead.

s you can see, these advantages of

biodegradable plastics are significant and of great

importance for the future of the planet. 'lastics are

new to society - ust a generation ago and plastic

consumption was a tenth of what it is now. 7or me,

researching into the advantages of bioplastics has

been an enoyable process, as 2 am committed to

reducing the environmental pollution as much as 2

can. !he benefits of biodegradable products are so

clear that the next stage is for the public to

become more aware of the issue. 'erhaps in a

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generation ahead the oil-based plastic will have

had its day8

1isad*anta&es

9 !he first and most obvious argument against

biodegradable trash bags is that they are simply

more expensive in comparison to conventional

plastic bags. !his is because they re"uireinnovative methods to create them, which brings

the cost up.

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#9 nother consideration against biodegradable

bags is that you have to have an actual composterto make them biodegrade. !his makes the whole

process look "uestionable: if they are

biodegradable, surely, they should be able to

biodegrade more naturally.

$9 !his brings us to the next big con of these

biodegradable rubbish bags is that you will not be

able to recycle them along with regular plastics.

!hese bags re"uire special facilities for

composting them. 4o, even though they are

considered biodegradable, if they dont end up theright place, they are as good as regular plastics.

0ost of them end up in landfills anyway, where its

virtually impossible for them to biodegrade.

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&9 Biodegradable bags actually re"uire more

energy, more water, and more carbon dioxideemissions to produce than their conventional

polyethylene counterparts. !his makes one

wonder whether the whole thing is actually worth

their purchase, since we are still harming the

environment in the process.

(9 4ome companies that market biodegradable

bags will actually deceive the consumer by

assuring that the bags will, in fact, biodegrade no

matter what.

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-am!es

evelopment of biodegradable containers

%hile aromatic polyestersare almost

totally resistant to microbial attack,most aliphatic polyestersare biodegradabledue to their potentiallyhydrolysable esterbonds:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromaticityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliphatic_compoundhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliphatic_compoundhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromaticity

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;aturally

'roduced: 'olyhydroxyalkanoates9/

4ynthetic: 'olybutylenesuccinate9..

'olyanhydrides

'olyvinyl alcohol

0ost of the starchderivatives

?ellulose esterslike cellulose

acetateand nitrocelluloseand theirderivatives

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-!eriments

Science Project Details:

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ecomposition of bio-degradable plastic spoons

ifficulty: dvanced @

!ime re"uired: =ery long

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Hypothesis

Bio-degradable spoons lose some of their weightas "uickly as within $C days after being kept in

soil.

BackgroundBio-degradable plastic

Bio-degradable plastic materials are able to

degrade and decompose over time under natural

environmental conditions. !he degradation ofthese bio-degradable plastics is achieved by

allowing micro-organisms to metaboli)e on their

surface and decompose the plastic into smaller

parts and less harmful materials.

!he decomposing of bio-degradable plastic can bedone by natural composting or in a landfill.

0oisture and oxygen are normally re"uired for the

decomposition process to take place and these

conditions are readily available in most

composting facilities.

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4ome of the concerns over the use of bio-

degradable plastics are the release of carbon

dioxide during the decomposition process. !he

release of carbon dioxide into the environment

contributes to the release of greenhouse gases,

which cause global warming. However most bio-

degradable plastics are made from natural plant

material nd these plants have consumed and

reduce carbon dioxide gas in our atmosphere.

Scientific erms

Biodegradable, decomposition, microorganisms,metaboli)e, composting, greenhouse gas

Materials

!he materials re"uired for this science fair proect:

- C pieces corn starch based bio-degradablespoons

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- C pieces wheat-based bio-degradable spoons

- C pieces plastic spoons

- digital weighing scale

- 4oil, or a garden plot

- %ater

- black marker pen

Procedure

. 7or this science fair proect, the independentvariable is the type of spoon used ?orn starchbased, wheat based and plastic. !he dependent

variable is the amount of decomposition observed

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after $C days. !his is determined by using thedigital weighing scale to measure the weight of thespoons before and after the $C days. !he

constants

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calculated as described in procedure $ and theresults are recorded in the table below.

!bservation

!he results showed that the weight of the cornstarch based spoon and wheat based spoon hadreduced after $C days in the soil but the weight of

the plastic spoon remained the same.

4poonmaterial

4poon decomposition after $C days

4tartweight

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"onclusion

!he hypothesis that biodegradable spoons lose

some of their weight after as little & weeks in thesoil, is proven to be correct. t $C days, it wasevident that the corn starch-based spoons and thewheat-based spoons had begun to decompose,but this was not the case for the plastic spoons.

More than 20 million tons of plastic materials are

produced around the globe every year. Out ofthese, only a small percentage is recycled. Thedifficulty faced in the recycling of plastic material isthat most plastic waste matter comes mixedtogether with other types organic wastes. Theprocess of separating the plastic from organicwaste is time consuming and costly. However, in

the case of biodegradable plastics, the presence

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of organic waste actually aids the process ofdecomposition! "iodegradable plastics may be agood alternative to regular plastic, in order to

prevent the pollution of our environment.

#lso consider

!ry to repeat this science fair proect, this time,

evaluating different environments fordecomposition, such as by immersing the plastic inlake water or vegetable oil.

Gou could also try repeating the science proectwith other types or brands of biodegradablespoons, or by introducing specific species of

bacteria into the soil.