1) The document describes experiments conducted by students to explore biodegradable materials. They compared how quickly different food packaging materials degraded and tested the strength of gelatin films at different concentrations. 2) The students also measured the degradation rates of materials like gelatin capsules, starch, and films in water, acids, and bases. They found rates varied based on factors like pH, temperature, and concentration. 3) As a design project, the students created alginate beads that could be used to deliver medicine gradually as the beads degraded. They proposed developing a biodegradable mobile phone case from sunflower seeds that would grow into flowers after degradation.

1. Al-Bairaq
I am discovering materials
Biodegradable
The innovators
Wadha Ibrahim al-Rumaihi Radwa Moines Elshafey
Amal Salem

2. Outline
Introduction
Comparing Packing MaterialsActivity 1:
Activity 2:Hunting for Biodegradable Objects
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
17-18Make biodegradable cover for the cell phone

3. Introduction
The 21St witnessed a degradation in our living
environment. We were fortunate to participate in Al
Bairaq project and apply scientific inquiry through
multiple experiments to explore potential solutions to
improve our environment conditions through the
biodegradable module.

4. Activity 1a Comparing Packing
Materials
Procedure:
First: Put water in two beakers.
Second: Put two pieces of two
different food packing
materials in the two beakers.
Third: Record the changes.
Objective:
Comparing between two
different food packing materials.

5. Conclusion:
The white material is
biodegradable and it
is a polymer made up
of starch.
The green material is
non biodegradable
and it is a polymer
called polystyrene
The Result of Activity 1a
Comparing Packing Materials
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Time
Packing Materials
The Result
Polystyrene Starch

6. Activity 1b Comparing Packing
Materials
Procedure:
First: Full the first plastic bag with the
food packing made up of starch.
Second : Full the second plastic bag with
the food packing made up of polystyrene.
Then put one egg in each plastic bag in
the middle.
Third : Drop the two bags from the same
distance.
Objective:
Discover what is the best food
packing material, the biodegradable
or the non biodegradable one.

7. The two eggs will break down in the two bags. But after few
minutes, the food packing materials made up of starch is
dissolved by the liquid of the egg which means that the liquid
materials can’t be packed in biodegradable materials.
The Result of Activity 1b
Comparing Packing Materials

8. Activity 2 Hunting for Biodegradable
Objects
Biodegradable: is any object that
is broken down quickly by
natural force.
Non biodegradable: is any object
that is not broken down by natural
force but it needs chemicals to
break down.

9. Activity 3 Processing Biodegradable Materials and
Comparing Their Mechanical Properties
Objective: Making gelatin and
films
Part A: Processing Biodegradable
Materials
Procedure: Put HCl in three beakers
and add to them different
concentration of gelatin capsule
(5%, 10%, 20%)
Part A: The low concentration
dissolves more faster than the
others.

10. Part B: Comparing Their
Mechanical Properties.
Discover how these materials
vary in strength and
compressibility
Conclusion: The mechanical
properties of gels and films are
determined in part by the
concentration of gelatin solutions.
The concentration will affect the
thickness, compressibility,
chemical bond, transparence and
the stritchibility of the gel and
films.
The Result of Activity 3 :Processing Biodegradable Materials
and Comparing Their Mechanical Properties

11. Activity 4 Measuring the
Degradation Rates of Biodegradable
MaterialsObjective: Test the effect of pH and
temperature and concentration on the
degradation rates of the gel, films,
packing material (starch), and gelatin
capsule
Procedure:
First: Boil water then put the material that
we want to degrade it. Record the time
that needed for each material to dissolve.
Second: Put a sample of all of these
materials in a beaker that contains acid
Record the time that needed for every
material to be dissolved.
Third: Repeat the second step using an
alkali

12. Boiling
water
PH=7
HCl
PH=4
NaOH
PH=10
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
Activity 4 Measuring the Degradation
Rates of Biodegradable Materials

13. Conclusion
Biodegradable materials break down in different ways
depending on their chemical structure and other factors like:
*pH
*temperature
*presence of water
And there is others like:
*sunlight
*microbial action
*enzymes
Activity 4 Measuring the Degradation
Rates of Biodegradable Materials

14. Design Project Designing a
Medicine-Delivery Device
First: Make Alginate beads by putting
sodium alginate with calcium chloride.
Second: Soak in dye
Third: Dye release: Put beads in
sodium citrate.
Objective: Designing a Medicine
Delivery Device

15. The beads
will degrade
in the
solution and
the dye
release in the
sodium
citrate.
The Result of Design Project
Designing a Medicine-Delivery
Device

17. Sunflower Mobile Cover
We were making a research about biodegradable materials in the electronic
devices to find a way to protect our environment from pollution that harms the
human, the plants, and the animals.
As you know the mobile phone has become a part of our daily life. But it’s not
just using for communication, it becomes a fashion item too and, as a result,
many people change or upgrade their mobile phone every 18 months or so. In
fact, some estimates suggest that, in Europe alone, we discard in excess of 100
million mobile phones each year!

18. We searched to invent a mobile phone case from
polyvinyl alcohol polymer and sunflower seeds so once
the case breaks down, the seeds can germinate and grow
to become a flower and feed on the nitrates that are
formed when the cover turns to waste.

19. Bio Plastic Experiment
We did experiment about bio
plastic but we couldn't form the
exact shape for the cover.

20. Hypothesis
We can make a biodegradable mobile case
from sunflowers seeds

21. Recommendation
We hope that you make further research
about our idea and develop it to save our
environment. And maybe you discover
more plant seeds to have the same result.

22. Conclusion
In our product, we depended on the safety of
the environment, the low cost and the Qatar
vision 2030. I have learnt new information
about the materials and we have learnt how to
make research and work in group team. We
all like the idea of el bairaq and we want to try
it again.

23. References
http://www.research-tv.com/stories/technology/mobilephones/
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/ne10
00000097300/
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2005-07-
19/news/27496053_1_mobile-phones-sunflower-cell-phone

24. Acknowledgment
We like to thank all the sponsors ,CAM, Qatar
University Al-bairaq team , our school , our
teachers and our friends . All those people are
the reason of our productive outcome ,because
they give us the charge and the support to do
all this work. Again I thank you all.