Miriam College High School

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A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE BIODEGRADABILITY

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In partial fulfillment of the requirements in

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Full name Student A. CN5

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Ms. Raysel Evarem P. Palisoc

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Line CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
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Background of the Study (Written by Student A; Checked by Student B)

One of the key innovations in the early nineteenth century was the development

and production of plastic. The first man-made plastic was created by Alexander Parkes

and it was demonstrated at the 1862 Great International Exhibit in London. The material

called Parkesine was an organic material derived from cellulose that once heated could be

molded and retained its shape when cooled (history of the topic) (Bauer, 2007). Since

then, other types of plastic like celluloid, Bakelite, rayon and others were discovered

(examples of the topic of interest) (Bauer, 2007).

Plastic is used in a lot of industries like automobile, appliance and construction

because it is durable, lightweight, reusable and does not rust or rot. These characteristics

have made plastic very popular and widely used in the production of gadgets and goods

that have made human lives a lot easier (uses or applications of the topic of interest).

Although plastic has many positive influences in everyday lives, there have been

instances when plastics have posed some health and environmental hazards. Most plastics

do not pose any health or environmental hazards, but some monomers that are used in

manufacturing plastics, have been proved to cause cancer (Brown, 2003). Also, benzene,

a raw material used in the production of nylon, is a carcinogen (something that causes

cancer) (Petrucci, 2000). Even though recycling continues to reuse plastics, most plastics

do not rot and cannot be reused. This has resulted in large volumes of plastic being

deposited in landfills. Many also end up polluting bodies of water that can lead to

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 problems with floods and sanitation (observation or problem with the topic of

interest).

In recent years, scientists have been trying to develop biodegradable plastics to

help ease the problem of pollution. Some have developed plastics that can decompose in

natural aerobic and anaerobic conditions. This was achieved by

enabling microorganisms in the environment to break down the molecular structure

of plastic films to produce an inert humus-like material that is less harmful to the

environment (no author, 2010 June 8). These plastics could be composed of either bio-

plastics, which are plastics whose components are derived from renewable raw materials,

or petroleum-based plastics which utilize an additive (no author, 2010 June 8). The use of

bio-active compounds compounded with swelling agents ensures that, when combined

with heat and moisture, they expand the plastic's molecular structure and allow the bio-

active compounds to metabolize and neutralize the plastic (breakthroughs or

Statement of the Problem and Objectives and Hypotheses (Written by Student B;

Checked by Student C)

In the Philippines, several groceries and department stores have begun replacing

their plastic bags with biodegradable plastic bags as part of their efforts to help protect

the environment. Few studies have been done to confirm whether these plastic bags really

are biodegradable and how long they would last if they were placed in conditions similar

to that of a landfill. To find out the answers to these questions, the study aims to:

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 • compare the length of time needed for these biodegradable plastics to break down;

and

• determine the conditions (temperature, moisture, surface area) that can speed up

the breakdown of the plastic bags.

Hypotheses

HO: There is no significant difference in the biodegradability of the two types of

plastic bags.

HA: There is a significant difference in the biodegradability of the two types of

plastic bags.
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Significance of the Study (Written by Student C; Checked by Student D)

The results of this study can be used to determine whether the plastics being used

by the different department stores and groceries in the country are really biodegradable.

Determining the optimal conditions for degrading these biodegradable plastics will also

help in finding out whether the conditions in a landfill would be sufficient to breakdown

Line these plastic bags.

Scope and Limitations (Written by Student D; Checked by Student A)

The scope for this study is related to environmental biology. Environmental

biology is a branch of biology that deals with the study of the relationship of organisms
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 and its environment, giving more emphasis in the biological aspect. The limitations for

this study include the equipment, time, and the types of plastic bag tested. The

researchers have decided to use materials available at Miriam College High School’s

laboratory. The space where the study is limited only to the Biology Laboratory. The

given observation period must also be within the school year. While there are other types

of plastics available in the market and various conditions at different locations are

available, the aforementioned equipment, location and time constraints restrict how much

the researchers can test.

Review of Related Literature

The related literature is organized into the following topics: (A) Biodegradability

of Plastics, (B) Study of the Biodegradability of Degradable/Biodegradable Plastic

Material in a Controlled Composting Environment, (C) Biodegradable and compostable

alternatives to conventional plastics, and (D) USDA Research on Starch‐Based

Biodegradable Plastics.

A. Biodegradability of Plastics (Written by Student A, Checked by Student B)

In paragraph form….

• start with a brief introduction of the study published as a journal article

• discuss your related literature in terms of principal finding and your own

insights or interpretation and implications

• last paragraph/s answer/s the questions: What will your study do similarly?

Line What will you do differently? What is its significance to the field?
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 B. Study of the Biodegradability of Degradable/Biodegradable Plastic Material in a

Controlled Composting Environment (Written by Student B, Checked by

Student C)

In paragraph form….

• start with a brief introduction of the study published as a journal article

• discuss your related literature in terms of principal finding and your own

insights or interpretation and implications

• last paragraph/s answer/s the questions: What will your study do similarly?

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What will you do differently? What is its significance to the field?
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C. Biodegradable and compostable alternatives to conventional plastics (Written by

Student C, Checked by Student D)

In paragraph form….

• start with a brief introduction of the study published as a journal article

• discuss your related literature in terms of principal finding and your own

insights or interpretation and implications

• last paragraph/s answer/s the questions: What will your study do similarly?

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What will you do differently? What is its significance to the field?
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D. USDA Research on Starch‐Based Biodegradable Plastics (Written by Student D,

Checked by Student A)

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In paragraph form….

• start with a brief introduction of the study published as a journal article

• discuss your related literature in terms of principal finding and your own

insights or interpretation and implications

• last paragraph/s answer/s the questions: What will your study do similarly?

What will you do differently? What is its significance to the field?

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bauer, R., Birk, J. & Marks, P. (2007). Introduction to Chemistry: A Chemical Approach.

McGraw Hill

Brown, J. (2003). Principles of Chemistry: 3rd Edition. McMillan.

Doane, W. M. (1992). USDA Research on Starch-Based Biodegradable Plastics. Starch -

Stärke, 44(8), 293-295. doi:10.1002/star.19920440805

Kržan, Andrej (May 2012). Biodegradable Plastics and Polymers. Retrieved July 1, 2013

f r o m h t t p : / / w w w. i c m p p . r o / s u s t a i n a b l e p l a s t i c s / f i l e s /

Biodegradable_plastics_and_polymers.pdf

No Author (2010, June 8) Biodegradable Plastic Interesting Thing of the Day. Retrieved

from: http://itotd.com/articles/540/biodegradable-plastic

Petrucci, R. & Harwood W. (2000). General Chemistry: 7th Edition. Prentice Hall.

Song, J. H., Murphy, R. J., Narayan, R., & Davies, G. B. (2009). Biodegradable and

compostable alternatives to conventional plastics. Philosophical Transactions of

the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 2127-2139. doi:10.1098/

rstb.2008.0289

Vaverková, M., Toman, F., Adamcová, D., & Kotovicová, J. (2012). Study of the

Biodegrability of Degradable/Biodegradable Plastic Material in a Controlled

Composting Environment. Ecological Chemistry and Engineering S, 19(3),

347-358. doi:10.2478/v10216-011-0025-8

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