Introduction

One of the major problems that our country faces is the continuous problem concerning

environmental conditions. Pollution disrupts the balance in nature and puts the entire biosphere in

great peril. In addition, this environmental crisis also causes disturbing increasing rate of global

warming that may inflict terrifying catastrophes in the future if remains unsolved. This is due to

the invention and grateful use of plastics and other non-biodegradable materials like styrofoam

which are not readily decomposed.

Thus, the problem in waste management exists. Nevertheless, the government is doing its

best to remedy the problem, like the massive campaign for waste management segregation of

biodegradable and non-biodegradable materials. Apparently, not everyone is cooperating and

obeying this. Thus, the waste management purpose is defeated. In fact, studies reveal that 30% of

the non-biodegradable wastes like Styrofoam threaten more of our environment.

Styrofoam as waste continues to exist because many of our food are packed in the

Styrofoam, especially during occasions like Christmas Party, Birthday Party, Retirement Party,

and Graduation Day. After these occasions, lots of Styrofoam became wastes. In addition, during

school occasion, teachers made use of Styrofoam as decoration on stage, its trimmings afterwards

became waste and eye sores in school.

With these, pupils with the supervision of their science teacher thought of ways on they

can make use of these Styrofoam trimmings and waste into another useful material or how they

can recycle these into another decorative materials. In this way, burning and disposing of

Styrofoam will be avoided and prevent causes harmful gases on our ozone layer.

This prompted the researchers to conduct this study. We would like to produce an indoor

decorative pot from Styrofoam products and combine it with other indigenous materials like

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“kusot” from rice. The ultimate goal of this study is to spread out campaign for zero waste

management at Matalaba Elementary School.

Objectives of the Study

General Objective
The study was conducted to determine the possibility of producing another material
out of Styrofoam. If proven possible and feasible, it could be of great help to our
environment, specifically our school to make it environment friendly school.

Specific Objective
Specifically, it aimed to produce indoor decorative pots from Styrofoam with our
indigenous materials to make more appealing as decoration.

Statement of the Problem

1. Is there a feasibility of producing indoor decorative materials for pots from Styrofoam
products?
2. Is there a possibility that Styrofoam be mixed with indigenous materials to be made
into an indoor decorative materials for pots?

Significance of the Study

Given the underlying assumptions that Styrofoam once burned can bring harmful effects
to our ozone layer, it is significant that this should be recycled and made into a useful material that
is friendly to our environment.
Primarily, results of this study may bring significance to our environment. Trimmings of
styrofoams and other products made of styrofoams which are considered waste in the environment
would be recycled and be made into another useful product. In this way, wastes from non-
biodegradable materials will be lessened.

Results of this investigation may also give significance to school, pupils, and teachers.
School would be freed from non-biodegradable wastes, pupils would be taught of the importance

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of recycling of wastes materials by their teachers. Teaches would help develop and instil self-
reliance and innovativeness among pupils, shaping and moulding their pupils as environment-
friendly individuals.

Scope and Limitations

This study focused only to the feasibility of the Styrofoam products and Styrofoam
trimmings and other indigenous materials like “kusot” of rice to produce an indoor decorative pots
as alternative to the commercial ones.

This study was conducted from September to October at the School Science Laboratory

where apparatuses for the experiment were present.

The reasons for the choice of the experimental site were as follows: (1) it is the science

laboratory of the school where researchers are studying; (2) it has the complete laboratory facilities

where materials and apparatuses used in the experiment are present and; (3) the place could

guarantee peace, order and convenience for the smooth flow and investigation of the study.

This study focused on the production indoor decorative material which is the prime project

to maintain Zero Waste Management.

Hypothesis

Dissolved Styrofoam products can be mixed to indigenous material to produce an indoor

decorative materials for pot.

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Review of Related Literature

Styrofoam or Polystyrene is an aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid

hydrocarbon that is manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry. Polystyrene is one of

the most widely used plastics, the scale being several billion kilograms per year. It is a

thermoplastic substance that is solid state at room temperature, but flows if heated above its glass

transition temperature of about 100 °C, and becomes solid again when cooled. Pure solid

polystyrene is a colorless, hard plastic with limited flexibility. It can be cast into molds with fine

detail. Polystyrene can be transparent or can be made to take on various colors (Natta & Corradini,

1960).

In chemical terms, polystyrene is a long chain hydrocarbon wherein alternating carbon

centers are attached to phenyl groups, a name given to the aromatic ring benzene. Polystyrene's

chemical formula is (C8H8)n; indicating that it contains the chemical elements carbon and

hydrogen. Polystyrene’s properties are determined by short range van der Waals attractions

between polymers chains. Since the molecules are long hydrocarbon chains that consist of

thousands of atoms, the total attractive force between the molecules is large. When heated or,

equivalently, deformed at a rapid rate, due to a combination of viscoelastic and thermal insulation

properties, the chains are able to take on a higher degree of conformation and slide past each other.

This intermolecular weakness versus the high intramolecular strength due to the hydrocarbon

backbone confers flexibility and elasticity. The ability of the system to be readily deformed above

its glass transition temperature allows polystyrene and thermoplastic polymers in general to be

readily softened and molded upon heating (Maul et al., 2007)

A more common name given to polystyrene is Styrofoam, which in truth is actually a brand

name. Because of its inherent lightweight characteristic, Styrofoam has found many household

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and industrial applications. Companies produce Styrofoam building materials, including insulated

sheathing and pipe insulation. Styrofoam insulation has been used in many notable buildings and

facilities in North America. They also produce Styrofoam as a structural material for use by florists

and in craft products. Dow insulation Styrofoam has a distinctive blue color; Styrofoam for craft

applications is available in white and green. Styrofoam can be used under roads and other

structures to prevent soil disturbances due to freezing and thawing (The Dow Chemical Company,

1995)

Just like other issues directly linked to the by-products of petroleum, polystyrene also

raised environmental concerns about its disposal. Discarded polystyrene does not biodegrade for

hundreds of years and is resistant to photolysis (Bandyopadhyay and Basak, 2007). Because of

this stability, very little of the waste discarded in today's modern, highly engineered landfills

biodegrades. Because degradation of materials creates potentially harmful liquid and gaseous by-

products that could contaminate groundwater and air, today's landfills are designed to minimize

contact with air and water required for degradation, thereby practically eliminating the degradation

of waste (Rathje and Murphy, 1989).

Polystyrene foam is a major component of plastic debris in the ocean, where it becomes

toxic to marine life. Foamed polystyrene blows in the wind and floats on water, and is abundant in

the outdoor environment. Polystyrene foams are produced using blowing agents that form bubbles

and expand the foam. In expanded polystyrene, these are usually hydrocarbons such as pentane,

which may pose a flammability hazard in manufacturing or storage of newly manufactured

material, but have relatively mild environmental impact. However, extruded polystyrene is usually

made with hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) blowing agents which have effects on ozone

depletion and on global warming. Their ozone depletion potential is greatly reduced relative to

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chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) which were formerly used, but their global warming potential can be

on the order of 1000 or more, meaning it has 1000 times greater effect on global warming than

does carbon dioxide (IPCC Third Assessment Report on Climate Change, 2001).

To respond to the possible detriments that Styrofoam could cause to the environment,

experts on sustainable development suggest that people recycle the product. As a matter of fact,

Polystyrene is easily recycled. Due its light weight, especially if foamed, it is not economical to

collect in its original form. However if the waste material goes through an initial compaction

process the material changes density from typically 30 g/l to 330 kg/m3 and becomes a recycable

commodity of high value for producers of recycled plastic pellets. It is generally not accepted in

curbside collection recycling programs. In Germany polystyrene is collected, as a consequence of

the packaging law that requires manufacturers to take responsibility for recycling or disposing of

any packaging material they sell. In the US and many other countries the interest in recycling

polystyrene has led to collection points being established. The producers of large quantities of

polystyrene waste (50 tons per year or more) who have invested in the EPS compactors are able to

sell the compacted blocks to plastic recyclers.

Currently, most polystyrene products are not recycled due to the lack of incentive to invest

in the compactors and logistical systems required. Expanded polystyrene scrap can be easily added

to products such as EPS insulation sheets and other EPS materials for construction applications.

Commonly, manufacturers cannot obtain sufficient scrap because of the aforementioned collection

issues. When it is not used to make more EPS, foam scrap can be turned into clothes hangers, park

benches, flower pots, toys, rulers, stapler bodies, seedling containers, picture frames, and

architectural molding.

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 The research stems on extending the possible ways at which Styrofoam can be recycled.

With the properties of Styrofoam being mentioned above, the researchers thought of determining

the feasibility of producing concrete tiles using Styrofoam bits as an additive ingredient. Moreover,

the researchers also thought of comparing the characteristics of the produced tiles when the added

Styrofoam is first dissolved in gasoline.

Gasoline is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in

internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional

distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain ethanol

as an alternative fuel. Under normal ambient conditions its material state is liquid, unlike liquefied

petroleum gas or "natural gas” (Dabelstein et al, 2007). Gasoline has been used as solvent since

any groups attached to the carbon backbone will help dissolve polystyrene. Hydroxyl groups are

too polar, so glycerin and alcohols don't do it. Gasoline attacks styrene foam because it has modest

percentages of benzene, toluene, and xylene. Other possible solvents are also available. Paint-store

denatured alcohol has 10% acetone in it as the denaturant, so it will attack Styrofoam a little. All

cousins of acetone will attack polystyrene. Paraffin wax, drug-store mineral oil, and candle oil

won't quite dissolve Styrofoam except when heated (Newton, 2007).

There have been a lot of related articles showing the extents at which Styrofoam can be

recycled. Styrofoam is commonly pressed into solid insulation boards or made into loose-fill

insulation. However, there has been suggested backseats to this since standard polystyrene in small

bits is highly flammable. Polystyrene can emit hazardous gases when exposed to heat. When it is

used for building materials, municipal building codes typically require a fire barrier (Vulcan,

2010). Also, a blog indicated the feasibility of using Styrofoam as a raw material in the production

of a sealant. The researcher used gasoline to melt the Styrofoam to produce a sticky solution which

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was then used a sealant to holes in household roofs. The drying time was determined and was

compared to commercial sealants. Furthermore, Tsutomu Noguchi of the Sony Research Center

found that the oil from orange peels would dissolve polystyrene. By using a product called

Limoene, that contains .5% of the orange peel oil Noguchi found that the polystyrene would break

down into a liquid form that created a very strong glue and can be used to create styrene pellets

that go back into the production of more polystyrene (Karr, 2010)

From the reviews done by the researchers, none indicated that an investigation about using

dissolved Styrofoam products by gasoline and combined this product into an indigenous material

to produce a useful decorative material like indoor decorative pots.

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Methodology

Research Design
Researchers made use of the experimental type of research design. Two preparations and
trials were conducted to achieve the purpose and come up with the desired results. The main
components of the investigation include trimmings and other Styrofoam waste products, “kusot”
of rice, gasoline, and sap of jackfruit.

Research Locale

The experimental study was conducted in the researchers’ locality at Matalaba Elementary
School, Matalaba, Santa Cruz, Marinduque, where all the material components of the study were
gathered.

Materials and Equipment

Preparations

For the first preparation materials gathered include “kusot” of rice, and sap of jackfruit.
For the second preparation materials used for the composition of the desired product were “kusot”
of rice, trimmings of Styrofoam and other waste Styrofoam products, and gasoline.

Experimentation

Researchers combined the materials or components for the first experimentation which
include “kusot” of rice as the independent variable of the study, and sap of jackfruit as the
controlled variable of the study.

On second experimentation, materials or components used include “kusot” of rice as the

independent variable of the study, trimmings of Styrofoam and other waste products from
Styrofoam and gasoline as controlled variables of the study.

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Research Flow Chart

Gathering of Materials

Preparation 2
Preparation 1

Breaking/tearing Styrofoam
Extracting sap of jackfruit trimmings and other waste
Styrofoam products into pieces

Mix with “kusot” of rice

Mix “kusot” of rice with
pieces of Styrofoam using
spatula

Mixing two components

thoroughly
Dissolving components
using gasoline

Mixing components
thoroughly

Observing results

Results and Discussion

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 A. Data Analysis

Based on the experiments, the following results are obtained:

Table 1. Testing of the Experiment 1

Experiment 1 Preparation 1 Results

¼ kg. rice trimming Oozed up
250 ml of jackfruit sap Not composed

Table 1 presents the first set of components for experiment 1. The sap from jackfruit tree

was used as binding glue to compose and mould the rice trimmings into an indoor decorative

material for pots. It was found out the sap from jackfruit had no strong chemical properties that

could bind and compose the rice trimmings into another material. The sap oozed up instead of

drying up. Thus, the first trial was not successful. This prompted the researchers to conduct the

second trial.

Table 2. Testing of the Experiment 2

Experiment 2 Preparation 2 Results

¼ kg. rice trimming Hard
1 kg. of Styrofoam Composed
1 litre of gasoline
3 waste pots

Table 2 displays the materials used for preparation 2. As shown in the table, researchers
made use of additional components for the experiments such as 1 kg. of Styrofoam and gasoline
were to test the viability of holding and composing rice trimming into another materials. When all
components were combined, the mixtures become hardened and was composed and made into
another useful product like indoor decorative materials for waste and damage pots. Results of the
second experiments show positive results.

Conclusion

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 Researchers therefor conclude that gasoline is a good solvent of Styrofoam. Styrofoam and
gasoline are feasible for binding materials like “kusot” of rice that could be turned into another
useful product like indoor decorative materials for damaged or waste pots. Thus, the hypothesis
tested in this investigation is hereby confirmed and accepted.

Recommendation

In the light of the findings, researchers hereby recommend the following:

1. Waste products of Styrofoam and “Kusot” of rice can be made into another recyclable
product like indoor decorative materials for pots that would help lessen or avoid burning of
biodegradable materials that produces greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

2. Future researches are encouraged in order to improve the products and to find and test
another component that would replace gasoline as solvent and binding since it is hazardous for
children and also to minimize the cost of materials.

3. Other materials aside from “kusot” of rice such as clay, shells, and sands are encouraged
to test its feasibility to turn into another product like decorative materials.

Bibliography

Online References

myneonclass.wikispaces.com/file/view/Chapter+I-III+agad+gongob.docx

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Polystyrene & Styrofoam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene

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