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PAMPANGA HIGH SCHOOL

City of San Fernando Pampanga

Green peas (Pisum sativum) as Alternative Material in making Bioplastic

DAVID, Anna Alexandra

IGNACIO, Joel Kirk Timothy

VELARDE, Danielle

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Research II

March 2016

Mr.Christopher O. Lumba

Research Adviser

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Case Study # 1

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine whether the average number of hours

spent by 28 college students is significantly lower than the national average of 7.5 hours,

using a standard deviation of 0.7 hours and a level of significance of 0.05.

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

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1.1 Background of the Study

In more than just one part of the world, pollution is the largest problem. Not only

the plants and animals are in danger due to inability to adapt, but also us humans who do

not realize the consequences of our actions. In the near future, if no effort was made to

save the endangered species, lots of plants and animals may become extinct.

The root of pollution lies in our lack of means to dispose non-biodegradable

items. Dangerous substances are often thrown in dumpsites, dumped in the oceans, or

incinerated.

A great example of common non-biodegradable substances are the plastics.

Plastics are a big help to us so thats why we cannot just eliminate them because of their

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multiple uses. Since plastics are unable to degrade naturally, special measures are taken

to dispose them. However, simple disposal of plastics already creates a lot of problems

such as flood due to unwise disposal, and health defects due to inhalation of toxic

produced during incineration.

Scientists have already made a restricted solution, mainly the biodegradable

plastics (bioplastics). These plastics are easy to dispose because they can degrade after

some period of time. Since bioplastics are starch-based, they are very unlikely to cause

health problems.

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Green peas (Pisum sativum ) is a common addition to dishes in the Philippines. It

is a very good source of vitamin K, manganese, dietary fiber, vitamin B1, copper, vitamin

C, phosphorus, and folate. They are also abundant in vitamin B6, niacin, vitamin B2,

molybdenum, zinc, protein, magnesium, iron, potassium, and choline. The researchers

agreed to use green peas in the experiment because green peas, like corn and taro, have a

high starch content. Green peas are also commonly used is dishes but have limited use in

areas not involving cuisine. If the experiment is successful, then the green pea will have

more practical uses and will prove to be a versatile plant.

The purpose of this study is to create a solid compact bioplastic, not a bioplastic

bag. The desired product should be similar to solid plastics like ball pen cases and the

like.

1.2 Statement of the Problem


The aim of this study is to determine whether a bioplastic material could be

created from green pea starch. The researchers would like to come up with answers

specifically to the following questions:

Is the plastic durable enough for use?


Will the plastic decompose? How long will it take to decompose the plastic?
What other factors may contribute in decomposing the plastic?

1.3 Hypothesis

Alternative The green pea starch is an effective bioplastic material.

Null The green pea starch is not an effective bioplastic material.

1.4 Significance of the Study

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If successful, the green pea bioplastic will be a safe and eco-friendly alternative to

plastic. It is much easier to dispose and although it is a kind of plastic, it will not harm

the environment because it is derived from organic and natural materials. The results

of this study would be valuable to the environment, to the farmers of the agricultural

sectors, to the manufacturers, to the consumers, and to the future researchers.

To the environment. Using green pea starch-made plastics may help in

resolving the perennial garbage problem of the country because of its

biodegradability.
To the farmers. Propagating green pea as the main resources of this study

may add to their source of income.


To manufacturers. Methods to produce other products from bioplastics

might be open. They can use this polymer in making products like plastic bags and

containers.
To the consumers. They could avail bioplastics that are not exposed with

harmful chemicals unlike most of the commercial plastics. They can ensure a healthy

life because of the products that are exposed in organic materials.

To the future researchers. They can use the study as a reference for their

own study regarding bioplastics. They may use the views and other data in the study

as a comparison and as their related literature.

1.5 Scope and Limitation


This research was conducted to determine the possibility of producing an eco-

friendly biodegradable plastic from green pea starch as tested by the researchers

conducting the study within March 21 to July 6 of year 2015 as scheduled. Only the

green pea vegetable was used. The product of this research is, of course, not

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ingestible and not for consumption. The brand of the blender that was used is Toyo

and the capacity of the measuring cup that was used is 160 ml.

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CHAPTER 2 : REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

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I. Environmental Pollution
Pollution is defined as the introduction of a foreign substance that has

harmful effects to humans or other living organisms, or that damage the

environment. The adverse change in the world today is said to be the result of

environmental pollution but it has multiple forms. Environmental pollution is

the contamination of the physical and biological components of the earth/

atmosphere system to such an extent that normal environmental processes are

adversely affected. Pollutants can be naturally occurring substances or

energies, but are considered contaminants when in excess of natural levels.


Pollution is a special case of habitat destruction, it is chemical destruction

rather than the more obvious physical destruction. Pollution occurs in all

habitats- land, sea and fresh water, and in the atmosphere. Much of what we

have come to call pollution is in reality the non-recoverable matter resources.

Any use of natural resources at a rate higher than natures capacity to restore

itself can result in pollution of air, water, and land. (Tara, 2009)
Air pollution is the contamination of air by gases, dust, fumes or odor in

harmful amounts. That is, amounts which could be harmful to the health or

comfort of humans and animals or which could cause damage to plants and

materials.
Outdoor air pollution is large and increasing a consequence of the

inefficient combustion of fuels for transport, power generation and other

human activities like home heating and cooking. Combustion processes

produce a complex mixture of pollutants that comprises of both primary

emissions, such as diesel soot particles and lead, and the products of

atmospheric transformation, such as ozone and sulfate particles. Indoor

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cooking and heating with biomass fuels or coal produces high levels of indoor

smoke that contains a variety of health-damaging pollutants. Indoor air

pollution can lead to acute lower respiratory infections in children under age

five, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer in adults.

Indoor air pollution is responsible for 2 million deaths annually. Acute lower

respiratory infections, in particular pneumonia, continue to be the biggest

killer of young children and this toll almost exclusively falls on children in

developing countries.
World Health Organization (WHO) is providing technical support to

countries in their own evaluations and scale up promoting safer stove

technologies, as well as air quality guidelines to offer global guidance on

reducing the health impacts of air pollution.


Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies. It occurs when

pollutants such as daily garbage and toxic substances are directly or indirectly

discharged into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful

compounds. Some consider that water pollution may occur from natural

causes such as sedimentation from severe rainfall events; however, natural

causes including volcanic eruptions and algae blooms from natural causes

constitute a minute amount of the instances of world water pollution. The

most problematic of water pollutants are microbes that induce disease, since

their sources may be construed as natural, but a preponderance of these

instances result from human intervention in the environment or human

overpopulation phenomena. This poisons the bodies of water, making it

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unsuitable for supporting life. On rare cases, it may cause mutations on some

fish.
Land pollution is the degradation of the Earths surface caused by a misuse

of resources and improper disposal of waste. Urbanization and

industrialization are major causes of land pollution. The Industrial Revolution

set a series of events into motion which destroyed natural habitats and

polluted the environment, causing diseases in both humans and other species

of animals.
Deforestation and soil erosion is one that causes land pollution.

Deforestation carried out to create dry lands. Land that is once converted into

a dry or barren land, can never be made fertile again, whatever magnitude of

measures to redeem it are. Agricultural and mining activities, overcrowded

landfills, industrialization, construction activities, nuclear waste and sewage

treatment also cause land pollution.


Damaging vegetation that provides food and shelter is an effect of land

pollution. It can also seriously disrupt the balance of nature and in extreme

cases, can cause human fatalities.


II. Plastics
Plastic is any synthetic or natural organic materials made from a wide

range of organic polymers that can be molded into shape while soft and then

set into a rigid or slightly elastic form. The term "plastic" derives from the

Greek "plastikos," meaning fit for molding, and "plastos," meaning molded. In

line with this root etymology, and in the broadest sense, a plastic is a material

that at some stage in its manufacture is able to be shaped by flow such that it

can be extruded, molded, cast, spun, or applied as a coating. (Sinha and

Plamondon, 2015)

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III. Biodegradable Plastics
Plastics that are able to degrade naturally are generally starch-based. These

starch-based varieties are known as bio-plastics and are derived from raw

materials such as corn and potato starch, so manufacturers claim they are

sustainable as well as biodegradable. Oil-based plastics are typically derived

from non-renewable sources such as crude oil, and are processed using

energy-intensive and environmentally hazardous techniques; therefore not all

biodegradable plastics are good for the environment. When biodegradable

plastics are buried in landfill, there is a limited supply of oxygen and water so

they break down an aerobically, releasing methane.


In fact, plastics do not biodegrade. Of course plastic breaks, tears and

cracks. It weathers and sunlight makes it brittle. It falls apart; it degrades, but

only into smaller pieces of plastic. And that can take hundreds of years. But,

in the case of bio-plastics, they are easy to degrade.


The industry argues that they can do just that by means of chemical

additives known as degradation initiators. Degradation initiators are added to

the plastic mix in amount of up to 2% of the total composition. Very basically,

these additives break the long unnatural plastic polymers into shorter

recognizable polymers that microbes can attack and digest or biodegrade. As

75% of plastic end up in landfill, most additives are designed to work in

landfill though there is no reason to assume that other additives could not be

developed to respond to other conditions. Different additives manipulate the

microbes in different ways. Products may start to degrade outside of the

specified conditions but the process will take much longer. So, to become

biodegradable, plastic has to be further chemically engineered. Obviously, this

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is by no means a natural process as biodegrading is normally understood to be

rather it requires complex chemical engineering.

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CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

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A. Preparation of Materials

The researchers bought glycerin from a local drug store and procured Green pea

(Pisum sativum) from a trusted source. To ensure the authenticity of the procured

vegetable, the researchers sought help from experts. After confirming that the fruit is

indeed Pisum sativum, they brought into the research laboratory for the extraction

process. A coffee filter was used to separate the starch from the water during the

extraction process. A measuring cup was used to measure the amount of water.

B. General Procedure

For the extraction of starch, 1 kilogram of green peas are washed. Per 500 grams, 300 mL

of water was added and blended until the mixture turns fine. A coffee filter was used to

strain off the cloudy water. The exracted starch was left under the sun for 72 hours to dry.

For the cooking of the plastic, 60 ml of cold water, 10 grams of green pea starch, 5 mL of

vinegar and 5 mL of glycerin was mixed in a non-stick pan. The mixture was stirred and

cooked on high heat for 5 minutes. The researchers left the cooked mixture under the sun

for 120 hours to dry.

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CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

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The researchers were not able to produce a solid plastic because the cooked mixture was

not rubbery. Compared to the initial plan of the researchers to create a bioplastic from

gabi starch, the resulting cooked mixture was too pasty, making it unsuitable for making

bioplastics.

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CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

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The researchers wanted to find if green pea (Pisum sativum) can be an alternative

material in making biodegradable plastics. The results of the biodegradability test show

that the green pea starch cannot be used as an alternative in making biodegradable plastic.

For the future researchers, the researchers recommend extracting the starch using

a finer strainer to prevent unnecessary materials from being mixed in with the starch.

Also, to make the cooked mixture more flexible and rubbery, the researchers recommend

using more glycerin.

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Research Plan

I. Rationale
A. Background of the Study
B. Statement of the Problem
This research is conducted to test whether green pea (Pisum

sativum) starch can be used to produce a biodegradable plastic. The

researchers will also test the durability of the bioplastic to see if it can

function as an alternative to existing petroleum plastics. Project objectives

include: 1) creating a new type of biodegradable plastic; 2) determining

whether it is durable enough for efficient use.

C. Significance of the Study

The researchers found out that biodegradable plastics not very

popular in the Philippines. Most of us use plastics that are hard to degrade

and generally dangerous to our health and environment. Other

biodegradable plastics are the cornstarch plastic and potato plastic. The

researchers noticed that the plants used have starchy vegetables.

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Thats why the researchers decided to create a biodegradable

plastic from green peas that is also rich in starch

The target readers are the daily consumers, such as shoppers who use

plastic nearly every day; and plastic manufacturers who can now create

eco-friendly products using biodegradable plastics.

II. Research Methodology

A. General Procedure

The researchers will buy glycerin from a local drug store and procured

green peas (Pisum sativum) from a trusted source. To ensure the authenticity

of the procured vegetable, the researchers will seek help from experts. After

confirming that the fruit is indeed Pisum sativum, they will bring it to the

research laboratory for the extraction process.

For the extraction of starch, 1 kilogram of green peas will be washed. Per

500 grams, 300 mL of water will be added and blended until the mixture turns

fine. A coffee filter and strainer will be used to strain off the cloudy water. The

starch will be left under the sun for 72 hours to dry.

For the cooking of the plastic, 60 ml of cold water, 10 grams of green pea

starch, 5 mL of vinegar and 5 mL of glycerin will be mixed in a non-stick pan.

The mixture will be stirred and cooked on high heat for 5 minutes. The

researchers will leave the cooked mixture under the sun for 120 hours to dry.

B. Conceptual Framework

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III. Safety/Risk Assessment

The researchers will take into account the source from which the plant or

fruit was obtained. They will take basic precautionary measures during the

blending process so as not to injure anyone and lose or damage the materials. An

adult was also consulted regarding the chemical glycerin.

IV. Data Analysis


The researchers will closely monitor the amount of time that passes during

the extraction process. They will make sure to use sufficient amounts to avoid

delays in the making of the biodegradable plastic due to item insufficiency. The

costs/billing will also be supervised by a representative from the group

accordingly.

V. Bibliography

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Making Biodegradable Plastics. Available: http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Potato-

Plastic!/step2/Optional-Extract-the-Starch/

[2015, April 23]

THE BASICS OF MAKING CORN STARCH BIOPLASTIC. Available: http://green-

plastics.net/posts/76/qaa-help-with-cornstarch-pla-plastic-project/

[2015, May 20]

Biodegradable Plastics. Available: http://www.explainthatstuff.com/bioplastics.html

[2015, May 20]

Plastics Chemical Resistance Testing. Available:

http://www.polyhedronlab.com/testing/chemical-resistance.html

[2015, May 20]

How to Test Plastic Properties. Available: http://www.tiniusolsen.com/resource-

center/plastic-properties.html

[2015, May 20]

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