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K. Subramaniam
Acknowledgement
Disadvantages
1) The first and most obvious argument against
biodegradable trash bags is that they are simply
more expensive in comparison to conventional
plastic bags. This is because they require
innovative methods to create them, which brings
the cost up.
2) Another consideration against biodegradable
bags is that you have to have an actual composter
to make them biodegrade. This makes the whole
process look questionable: if they are
biodegradable, surely, they should be able to
biodegrade more naturally.
Availability of
materials: Readily available
Easily found
Abstract
This science fair project was done to evaluate the
rate of decomposition of bio-degradable plastic in
the natural environment. Biodegradable spoons
are supposed to decompose with time, but exactly
how soon does this process take place? The
experiment involved using disposable spoons
made from corn starch, wheat and plastic. These
spoons were planted in soil.
Hypothesis
Bio-degradable spoons lose some of their weight
as quickly as within 30 days after being kept in
soil.
Background
Bio-degradable plastic
Scientific Terms
Biodegradable, decomposition, microorganisms,
metabolize, composting, greenhouse gas
Materials
The materials required for this science fair project:
- Water
Procedure
1. For this science fair project, the independent
variable is the type of spoon used ? Corn starch
based, wheat based and plastic. The dependent
variable is the amount of decomposition observed
after 30 days. This is determined by using the
digital weighing scale to measure the weight of the
spoons before and after the 30 days. The
constants (control variables) are the type of soil
used, the length of time allowed for decomposition,
the temperature and humidity.
Observation
The results showed that the weight of the corn
starch based spoon and wheat based spoon had
reduced after 30 days in the soil but the weight of
the plastic spoon remained the same.
Also consider
Try to repeat this science fair project, this time,
evaluating different environments for
decomposition, such as by immersing the plastic in
lake water or vegetable oil.
You could also try repeating the science project
with other types or brands of biodegradable
spoons, or by introducing specific species of
bacteria into the soil.