Done by Science Supporters group at Mosaab Bin Omair Independent Secondary School for Boys. Under supervision from AL-Bairaq

1. AL- Bairaq
I’m Discovering Materials - Cycle 10
Biodegradable Materials
MBO.Science Supporters.10th cycle
Abdulaziz Al- MalkiFahad Al- Kuwari Sultan Al- Saadi
Mohannad Mardini
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Product Idea: Shoes Bio-pads

2. Outline
• Introduction: What are Biodegradable Materials?
• Activity 1: Comparing Packing Materials
• Activity 2: Hunting for Biodegradable Objects
• Activity 3: Processing Biodegradable Materials and
comparing thier Mechanical Properties
• Activity 4: Measuring the Degradation Rates of
Biodegradable Materials
• Design Project: Designing a Medicine release
capsules
• Product Idea: Shoes Bio-pads
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3. Introduction
Biodegradable: Materials that break down or degrade by natural
processes into smaller, non-toxic parts that are returned to the
environment.
Examples of Biodegradable and Non-
biodegradable materials.
Biodegradable
Materials
Non-Biodegradable
Materials
1- wood
2-gelatine capsules
3-fom peanuts
4-food
1-plastic
2-iron
3-tires
4- aluminum
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4. A1:Comparing Packing Materials
Objective:
•We compare between both types of packing materials Properties of each type of packing materials.(part
A)
•We want to know which foam will biodegrade in water (part B)
•The Procedure:
•1st step: we cover two eggs with two different foams ,then we cover the first egg with a green foam
(non-biodegradable) and the other egg we cover it with white foam (biodegradable ) . After that we
drop the two eggs from a high place .(part A) .
•1st step we bring green and white foam then we put them on two different beakers and we fill them
with water (part B) .
•Results: The white foam degraded and the green foam didn’t degrade (part A)
•The fragile item didn’t break down because both packages materials were providing the same level of
protection (both of them have same physical properties and different chemical properties )(part B )
•Conclusion:
•(part A)
We were checking if the foam was capable of
protecting the egg.
We made an experiment about degradation in water for
biodegradable foam peanut and non-biodegradable foam peanut.
(part B)
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5. Comparing Table:
Broke down in
water (part B)
Protected the
egg
Packing
material
Soft Useful to
environment
Didn’t Broke
down in
water(part B)
Protected the
egg Packing
material sold
Harmful to
environment
(part A)
(part A)
(part A)
(part A)
PHS:
(properties)
PHS:
(properties)
(When degrade)
(When degrade)
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6. A2: Hunting For Biodegradable Objects
•Objective:
•We were hunting and searching for biodegradable materials and its uses
and benefits.
•Procedure:
Researching the internet about the biodegradable objects.
Use information to write reasons and which materials should be
biodegradable and which shouldn't be .
•A
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7. Should be biodegradable Reasons Should not be
biodegradable
Reasons
Plastic
So they can degrade it with
out polluting the earth.
House If the houses were
biodegradable they would
fall down and people will
consequently die.
Shopping bags When people are done with
them, they leave them to
degrade.
Cars Because if they degrade,
they would cost people life
and money.
Some types of papers so when people are done
with them they leave it to
degrade
Machines Because the companies will
lose a lot of money
Water bottle Because when you want to
get rid of it need to fire it
and it will bring out toxic
gasses
Shoes Because maybe while people
walking it degrades
food To supple the body with
nutarians
Medical items and medicine hospitals will lose a lot of
amount of items and
medicine and they will cant
help people
What objects should be biodegradable and what objects should not and why ?
Fill this table while hunting :
Results:
Some of materials can be biodegradable other shouldn’t be .
Conclusion:
We learned about the materials that are non-biodegradable . and how where to use the
biodegradable materials.
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8. A3: Processing Biodegradable Materials
and comparing their Mechanical
Properties
•Objective:
•Compare between gel and film properties and how it’s made and it’s observations.
•Procedure:
•- We brought 60 gelatin capsules and divided them and put them in 3 beakers with different
concentrations of HCL.
•Results:
•1- 5% weaker than 10% and 5% has less transparency.
•2-10% film is stronger than 5% and have more transparency.
•3-20% had become a gel and it have more flexibility than 5% and 10%.
•This is a picture about one of our team showing us a 5% film and 10% film and 20% gel, that we made the
previous day, and we are comparing their statics and properties.
•Conclusion: different films with different concentrations degrade in different time in HCl solution
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9. A4: Measuring the Degradation Rates of Biodegradable Materials
•Objective
•In the activite we Will check the degradation in different solution
•Procedure:
•1-Determine the mass of a gelatin capsule and of a piece of biodegradable packing material.
•2-prepare three solutions Hcl NaOH and hot water all with same volume
•3-Place a peace of biodegradable packing material into the hot water bath,record the time in
takes to degrade.
•4-Place a sample of each of the other four types of materials ( gelatin capsules, gel, 5% w/v
film and 10% w/v film ) into the hot water and HCl and NaOH.
•5-Calculate and record the averag degredation rate of each type of material under the
different condetions.
•6-Make a graph that shows the relationship between each materials and degredation rate
•This are the 3 solute We dropped the 3 materials 5% film and 10% film and 20% gel and we were seeing and writing the
time while they were degrading.
•ions Hot water 200ml, HCl 0.0001ml and NaOH 0.0001ml that we dropped in the 3 materials 5% film and 10% film and
20% .
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10. Conclusion: the same material would degrade with different rate in different
conditions.
Results: All materials degraded the most in hot water while the least was NaOH.
As the concentration of the biodegradable material in creases it would take longer time to
degrade.
0:00
2:24
4:48
7:12
9:36
12:00
14:24
16:48
19:12
HOT WATER 200 ML HCL 0.0001 M NAOH 0.0001 M
0:55
8:40 9:20
0:32
2:15
8:23
1:15
4:30
3:20
12:30
18:40 18:20
Hot Water 200 ML HCl 0.0001 M NaOH 0.0001 M
Gelatine capsule 0.1 g 0:55 8:40 9:20
Foam peanuts 0:32 2:15 8:23
5% Film 1/4 0.1 g 1:15 4:30 3:20
20% Film 1/4 0.1 g 12:30 18:40 18:20
Degradation Rates
Gelatine capsule 0.1 g Foam peanuts 5% Film 1/4 0.1 g 20% Film 1/4 0.1 g
Comparing about
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11. -Designing a Medicine – Delivery Device
•Objective:
-Try to design a Medicine device using gelatin capsules.
Know how to make a medicine device that releases dye to meet the conditions.
•Procedure:
1-food dye
2-solution(Na, cacL2)
3-Filtter paper
Results:
1-observing the degradation and Drug in Na citrate solution.
2-making the biodegradable sodium gelatin beads.
Conclusion :we learned about how to create a biodegradable
medicine delivery device.
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pipette
-Filtter
paper

12. Final Project:
Shoes Bio Pads

13. Final Project:
Shoes Bio Pads
Our Introduction and Rationale about the product:
We choose this product because we want to get rid of humidity, feet diseases and bad
smells that make our feet dirty.
This product is important for Qatar society and other countries because our climate is
hot and dry so when we wear our shoes and do exercise or just walk our feet will
become wet and full of humidity, that make our feet smell ugly and bad, also it causes
us some fungi-related diseases.
This product has the ability to absorb humidity and bad smell and release nice smell
also it is made of biodegradable materials, this product is new, promising and able to
more developing in the future.
Our Main Purpose and achievement:
We want to fix the humidity and bad feet smell problem for athletes and other
people.
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14. Shoes Bio Pads
Hypothesis:
-We assume that the pads would absorb the moisture and
humidity and release nice smells.
•-We assume but bio pads under hoes pads .
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15. Shoes Bio Pads
Methods and Materials
Materials required to absorb humidity:
•Starch, Baking soda, Silica gel.
•Materials required to absorb odors:
Lemon peels, Rosemary, Green Tea, anise, cloves, and cinnamon ( these all will be powder).
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How to make our product?
We thought of making a mixture of the ingredients that could be shaped in different ways and
sizes according to the type of the shoes
Silica gelStarchBaking soda

16. Shoes Bio Pads
Results
•The biodegradable shoes pads could be used to protect the feet's from bacteria and
fungal infections causing bad smell.
•Absorbing moisture and sweat so make walking more comfortable
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Benefits of our product

17. Shoes Bio Pads Recommendations:
•we highly recommend that the shoes bio-pads would be produced
with different scent, shapes and sizes to fit wide ranges of shoes and
be sold commercially.
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18. Conclusions
(Overall of the whole module)
1-we have a achieved a lot of experience through AL-Bairaq
project.
2-we learned a lot of information around biodegradable
materials and how helpful they are.
3-we learned how to do experiment’s by ourselves.
4-we learned how to solve problems in other ways.
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19. Many thanks to my teachers, school and AL-Bairaq team from Center for
Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University for supporting us during
our journey with a AL-Bairaq.
Also, I would like to thank the sponsors UNESCO, Qatar National
Commission, Ras Gas, Maersk and Shell.
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