GROUP 23 PROJECT WRITE-UP

Members of Group 23

Desta Amare

Ama Gyamfua Sarfoh

Janice Preko

Kaleab Gebreigziabher

Theme of Project: Going Green

Research Question: How does change in mass (5, 10, 15, 20, 25)g of potato starch affect
the strength of a biodegradable plastic?

The aim of this research question is to obtain results that will help solve a major problem in our
community and in our country. The research question addresses the following Sustainable
Development Goals:

· SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production

· SDG 13: Climate Action.

The members of Group 23 decided to choose this research question, because of the poor waste
management system in Ghana. Additionally, we came to realise that most of the waste in
Ghana consisted of plastic bottles, which are not biodegradable. These plastic bottles would in
turn choke the gutters and lead to floods in certain areas of the country when it rains heavily. As
a group, we believe that if we can find a biodegradable alternative to plastic, we can help solve
this problem that plastic bottles bring. This is linked to the theme, ‘Going Green’, because a new
form of plastic that is biodegradable would be beneficial to the environment, since natural
resources that do not cause harm to our environment would be used instead.

Variables

Independent variable: Mass of potato starch

Dependant variable: Strength of bioplastic

Controlled variable: Volume of food coloring, the temperature of the oven, volume of water and
time taken for experiment
Apparatus

1. Vegetable Glycerine

2. Vinegar

3. Vegetable Oil

4. Potato Starch Flour

5. Distilled Water

6. Food colouring

7. Spatula

8. Weighing boat

9. Measuring cylinders

10. Electronic balance

11. Beakers

12. Bunsen burner

13. Gauze

14. Tripod

15. Stirring rod

16. Stopwatch

17. Rubber spatula

18. 15 moulds for starch

19. Masses of 5N, 10N, 20N, 50N

20. Hook to place masses

21. Oven
Method

1. Measure 5 grams of potato starch

2. Pour the starch into a beaker

3. Pour 60 cm3 of distilled water into the beaker containing potato starch

4. Add 5 cm3 of vinegar into the mixture

5. Add 5 cm3 of glycerine into the mixture

6. Add three drops of preferred food colouring into the mixture to make it colourful and plastic-
like

7. Place the beaker on a tripod stand with a Bunsen burner to give the mixture some heat

8. Stir the mixture every other minute to ensure that there is a uniform mixture

9. After the mixture thickens, allow it to boil for five minutes

10. After boiling, allow it to cool for another five minutes

11. Grease the pans with oil

12. Scoop and spread the mixture onto the moulds

13. Place the moulds into an oven at 65 degrees Celsius or 150 degrees Fahrenheit for one to
two hours

14. Repeat the experiment for 10, 15, 20 and 25g of potato starch

15. Compare the strength of the biodegradable plastics with different masses and make our
conclusion.
 Quantitative data

Table 1.1: A table showing the scollected data of our experiment

MASS OF POTATO Mass of Mass used for it to Averaged mass used

STARCH USED/g Try Plastic/g tear/g for it to tear/g
1 1.4 20
2 1.3 30
5 3
4
1.1
0.9
30
50
42
5 2.9 80
1 2.2 55
2 1.8 50
10 3
4
2.0
2.1
100
60
71
5 2.2 90
1 4.0 25
2 3.2 40
15 3
4
4.8
3.0
40
40
35
5 3.8 30
1 6.9 85
2 6.3 80
20 3
4
5.7
6.1
65
90
78
5 6.8 70
1 4.3 110
2 3.4 90
25 3 4.6 80 93
4 7.7 85
5 6.9 100
 100
90
80
Mass used for it to tear/g

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Mass of Potato Starch Used/g

100
Averaged mass used for it to tear/g

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Mass of potato starch used/g

Fig 1. A graph displaying the relationship between mass of the potato starch used and the mass
used for it to tear the plastics (strength)

Qualitative data