This document summarizes a student project on biodegradable materials. It outlines 4 activities that students conducted: 1) comparing biodegradable and non-biodegradable packing materials, 2) identifying biodegradable objects, 3) processing and comparing mechanical properties of biodegradable materials, and 4) measuring degradation rates of materials. It also describes a design project to create a medicine delivery device and development of a "Green Plastic" made from chemically treated palm fronds that is biodegradable. Test results showed the Green Plastic has reinforced mechanical properties and is more environmentally friendly than traditional plastics. The conclusion is that the student team gained research experience and that the Green Plastic will

1. AL-Bairaq
I am discovering materials
Biodegradable
Rising Success
Mona Alsulaiti, Fatima Alkaabi
Sumayya Khan, Shamsa Albalushi

2. Outline
• Activity 1: Comparing biodegradable and non
biodegradable packing material
• Activity 2: Hunting for biodegradable objects &
comparing.
• Activity 3: Processing Biodegradable Materials and
Comparing Their Mechanical Properties
• Activity 4: Measuring the Degradation Rates of
Biodegradable Materials.
• Design Project : Designing a Medicine-Delivery Device
• The Green Plastic

3. Introduction
• What is a biodegradable object?
• It is an object that has the ability to break
down safely and quickly into the raw material
of nature and disappear into the environment.
• What is a non biodegradable object?
• It is an object made of components that will
not break down over time nor safely.

4. Activity1: Comparing biodegradable and
non biodegradable packing materials.
Part A
Objective:
• To set apart the biodegradable
polymer from the non
biodegradable polymer.
Procedure:
• Immerse the polymers in water.
Results:
• The biodegradable polymers
dissolved in water while the
other remained the same.

5. Activity 1: Comparing biodegradable and non
biodegradable packing materials.
Part B
What we did:
We brought two eggs
and we packed them in
bags, and we put the
polymers around them.
What we learnt:
 A biodegradable packing
material can be as
effective as a non
biodegradable packing
material in protecting an
egg from breaking.

6. Activity 2: Hunting for biodegradable objects
& Comparing.
• Biodegradable
objects:
• Non biodegradable
objects:
Examples of

7. Activity 3: Processing Biodegradable
Materials and Comparing Their
Mechanical Properties
Part A : Processing Biodegradable Materials .
• Objective: Making gelatin films
• Procedure: Process gelatin, a biodegradable material, into a gel and
into two films that vary in thickness and compressibility.

8. Activity 3: Processing Biodegradable
Materials and Comparing Their Mechanical
Properties
Part B: Comparing Their Mechanical Properties .
Discover how these materials vary in strength and compressibility.

9. Activity 4: Measuring the Degradation Rates of
Biodegradable Materials
• Objective: Test the effect of pH, temperature and
concentration on the degradation rates of the gel, films,
packing material (starch), and gelatin capsule.
• Result: Environmental conditions can affect the rate at which
a biodegradable material breaks down, environmental
conditions such as: the PH level, the concentration, the
temperature and the surface area.

10. Activity 4: Measuring the Degradation Rates
of Biodegradable Materials
Boilin
g
water
pH=7
HCl
pH
=4
NaOH
pH=1
5% 3 sec 60
sec
2:03
20% 4 sec 6:10 8:08
Gelatin
Capsule
12 sec 7:30 9:45
Packing
material
(Starch)
4.41 sec 5:07 5:47
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
5% 20% Gelatin capsule Starch
Boiling water HCl NaOH

11. Design Project :
Designing a Medicine-Delivery
Device
• Step 1: Make Alginate
beads (represents capsule)
sodium alginate + calcium
chloride
• Step 2: Soak in dye
(represents drug)
• Step 3: Dye release
(represents drug release in
human blood)
put beads in sodium
citrate.

12. The result:
Dye release.
Biodegradation of
beads.
Design Project : Designing a Medicine-
Delivery Device

13. Product Idea
The Green Plastic
• Introduction and Rationale:
• Our product is about investing in the unusable parts of the
palm trees which are the fronds and putting them through
some chemical procedures to make a biodegradable plastic
that will not affect the nature the way that the oil extracted
plastic does.
• Our goal
• We truly aim for a better future by protecting and
maintaining our nature in every way we can. By using the
green plastic, we are keeping our environment safe because
plastic is one of the most usable material yet it has a lot of
disadvantages, but not anymore.

14. The Green Plastic
Hypothesis:
•The Green Plastic is eco-friendly

15. METHODS
Part A: Manufacturing Bio-degradable
Plastic
• 1-Alkaline treatment: immerse the fibers
in a 2% NaOH aqueous for 24hr.
• 2-Wash fronds with normal tap water.
• 3-Cut the fronds into thin strips.
• 4- Wash them with distillated water.
• 5-Finaly put the frond in an oven for 2
hours on a 60 degree heat.
• 6- Cut the frond strips 1-2cm pieces.
• 7-Use the hot press machine to merge the
chemically treated natural fibers with
polystyrene waste.

16. Part B: Testing Mechanical Properties.
We made 3 samples:
• The first: only with polystyrene
waste.
• The second: polystyrene waste
with treated fibers placed
randomly.
• The third: polystyrene waste
with treated fibers placed with
orientation.

17. Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer
• Better mechanical response
with the samples including
fibers
• Fibers orientation exhibits
highest values of the elastic
modulus and less deformation.
1E-3 0.01 0.1
10
9
2x10
9
3x10
9
4x10
9
5x10
9
Pure PS
PS with fibres
PS with oriented fibres
Elastic,G´,andloss,G´´,moduli(Pa)
strain (%)
0.1 1 10
2x10
9
3x10
9
Pure PS
PS with fibres
PS with oriented fibres
Elastic,G´,andloss,G´´,moduli(Pa)
frequency, f (Hz)
•Samples are slightly dependent on
the frequency, means that all
samples were appropriate developed
structure with no defect.
•Fibers orientation exhibits highest
values of the elastic modulus.
Conclusion:
Oriented
fibers
considerably
reinforced
the
mechanical
properties of
the PS
matrix.

18. The Green Plastic
Results:
• The purpose of using The Green Plastic is to
decline the usage of the harmful plastic, so
no harm is left due to the usage of plastic.
• The usages of it are quite endless. The Green
Plastic could be used in many industrial
fields.

19. The Green Plastic
Recommendations:
• This product could be used in different
fields.
• We would really like to see further
investigations into the uses and
properties of this plastic.
• To enhance mechanical properties, use
additional chemical treatment such as
the peroxide treatment.

20. Conclusion
The green plastic will surely benefit our
environment by decomposing easily and
not leaving any harms behind.
Through Al-bairaq’s project we all gained :
• The team spirit, we stood by each other
throughout the whole time .
• How to analyze the experiments and how
to come out with an overall conclusion.
• The fundamentals of a basic research.

21. References
• The research:Chemical Treatments of
Natural Fiber for Use in Natural Fiber-
Reinforced Composites, Xue Li ,Lope
G. Tabil ,Satyanarayan Panigrahi
• http://www.lehman.edu/orsp/
• http://www.live-recruitment.co.uk/5-
benefits-of-teamwork-for-everyone-
working-in-events/

22. To all the great sponsors who gave us this kind
opportunity. To Qatar University and CAM, to our
school, to Ms.Hawa who stood with us throughout
the project’s period, and to the supportive team of
Al-bairaq who never let us down.