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1. Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VII, Central Visayas
Division of Bais City
Bais City National Science High School
Research Paper
Alternative Floor Polisher:
Recycling Plastic Bags for Composition
Proponents:
Neil Tristan G. Abrasaldo
Christian Mark S. Ajoc
Sarvia June A. Barotilla
Mikhey Mae T. Kadile
Submitted to: Mrs. Ma. Trinidad V. Uy

2. Table of Contents
I. Acknowledgment
II. Abstract
III. Chapter I
A. Introduction and it's Background
B. Statement of the problem
C. Formulation of Hypothesis
D. Significance of the study
E. Scope and delimitation of the study
F. Definition of terms
IV. Chapter II
A. Review of Related Literature and Studies
V. Chapter III.
A. Methodology
B. Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations

3. Acknowledgment
These research study would not be accomplished without the help of our family with their
support and also to our friends who continued to stick with us through the difficult times we had
experienced.
Also, we would like to extend our gratitude to our teacher, Mrs. Maria Trinidad V. Uy for her
considerations during the conduct of this research.

4. Abstract
The goal of this study is to recycle and use LDPE waste plastics as an alternative
polymer to floor waxes. Floor waxes have five basic categories of ingredients including
polymer emulsions. A polymer is a giant molecule made from a large number of similar
small molecules called monomers which are joined together chemically. Polymer
emulsions are the workhorse of a floor wax. They are the backbone upon which all the
other ingredients are connected. A Polymer used in floor waxes has a performance
characteristic including durability, gloss, slip resistance, leveling, clarity, water and
detergent resistance, recoalability, mark resistance, removability and powder resistance. In
line to this, the researchers found an alternative source of polymer emulsions- plastics. The
researchers study plastics and make use of it as an alternative polymer to floor waxes.
Aside from the fact that it's cheaper than any other floor waxes, it can also help lessen the
increasing number of waste plastics in our country.
In the conduct of the research, the team had concluded the ratio on the first table on the
second trial is the closest to the desired product the researcher aims.

5. Chapter one
Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
There are lots of different things, little things, which comes in our lives that plays a
great role. But somehow, people often see right pass through these things as if they
aren’t—weren’t of huge meaning to the world. Plastics, as we discuss more further, is one
of these things. Plastics are used widespread, ranging from the simplest forms ofcontainers
to complex varieties of machine parts and equipment. Plastics hold a big contribution in the
society, mainly in the economy, for such reasons as; these synthetic materials are needed
on such institutions as for packaging, building to transportation, consumer and
constitutional products, furnishings and electronics and many more in which industries that
manufacture these products create thousands and billions of plastics per year, shipping all
these products onto every corner of the world—yet, we often take these for granted as if
huge profits from companies of these products don’t really have that much effect to the
development of our country. But, we’re wrong; how we use them without acknowledging
their help, often underestimating their true value. People, of abusing this kind of product is
shown each time they leave—throw, rather plastics anywhere. And we all know where this
leads to; a situation where we’re all too familiar, a condition in which we are very much
aware of by now: climate change.

6. These plastics that we throw off anywhere are one of the factors that causes our planet
to deteriorate easily, for they are non-biodegradable wastes thereof, they take too much
time—or perhaps never—to decompose. Undecomposed plastics in the soil can cause
infertility, meaning plant organisms couldn’t sprout in the certain area. But that is just one
reason why plastics are crucially dealt nowadays. As for decomposition, a way of getting
rid and/or eliminating these plastics is through combustion—or otherwise known as
burning; lighting up piles of these synthetic materials with fire, but burning plastics could
lead to another reason why extreme changes of the climate occurs. Such gases carbon
dioxide (CO2) gradually stock themselves up at the Earth’s protective layer, thinning the
atmosphere’s ozone. This phenomena ends up letting ultraviolet rays and short-term
radiation from the sun penetrating through our planet, therefore increasing the world’s
normal temperature. The increase of the temperature is the very sign of the warming of the
Earth, otherwise known as global warming. Various calamities then begin to happen when
global warming takes place, some are just too much to handle. And all of these are just half
of many effects of our own reckless behaviors—worst case scenario would be the world
crumbling down to pieces due to uncontrollable amount of pollution.
And that’s the reason how various techniques of minimizing the amount of plastics in
the environment comes in handy. The very core of techniques, concerning as to
contemplating the best way of minimizing plastics is through recycling. On a simple
manner, recycling processes that are conducted throughout the globe aims to create a new
product from the items they’ve collected, which would be many times more efficient for
the growth of the society. The teams’ study grabs hold of this technique—recycling
plastics—to create a component which would greatly affect the team’s purpose; achieving

7. an alternative floor polisher—which would contain pleasing characteristics in odor and
durability, when applied.
A standard floor polisher compromises different kinds of polymers, now plastics are
made up of ethylene that had been polymerized hence, polyethylene. Being the main
structure of the polymer emulsion used in our study, plastics play a big role in our desired
product.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
It is the purpose of this team’s research to investigate the probability of recycled plastics as
a composition of an alternative floor wax.
Specifically, the study seeks answer to the following questions:
1. Is plastic a recommendable substitute for polymer emulsions in floor waxes?
2. What are the differences of the alternative floor wax as compared to most commercial
waxes in terms of:
2.1 Odor
2.2 Gloss and/or shine
2.3 Effectiveness

8. 1.3 Formulation of Hypothesis
1. There is no significant difference between the effectiveness of recycled plastic bags as
substitute for polymer content in waxes and that of the effectiveness of the alternative floor
wax.
2. There is no significant difference between the distinguished variables—plastics and the
effectiveness of the floor wax—for the type of polymer in plastics is not suitable for a
polymer composition in floor waxes.
1.4 Significance of the study
 Reduce waste plastic bags in the environment by using them as components for our
desired product.
 Create an alternative for floor polishers used for concrete floors.
 Suggests various ways of how to make waste plastics as a useful factors for different
products.

9. 1.5 Scope and Delimitation of the Study
The study covers up wide range of resources that are available in our locality, from the
materials used such as; waste plastic bags, coconut oil, paraffin wax--and equipment that
can be found in laboratories such as; beakers, balance beam (weighing scale) and tripod or
for home-based production; closed pots, tight vessels and cloth strainers. As for
application, the researchers specifies concrete floors as primary subject for testing.
1.6 Definition of Terms
Polymer - a naturally occurring or synthetic compound, suchas starchor Perspex, that has
large molecules made up of many relatively simple repeated units
Polyethylene - a plastic polymer of ethylene used chiefly for containers, electrical
insulation, and packaging.
Petrochemical - a chemical substance obtained from petroleum or natural gas, as gasoline,
kerosene, or petrolatum.

10. Chapter Two
Literature Review
In accordance to the researcher’s proposed project, the researchers have found various
sources in which it supports the plausibility of the said project.
2.1 Polymer as building blocks of floor polisher
According to Mickey Crowe, polymers in floor polishers serves as the agent
responsible for the glossy film that marks the floor once the floor polish dries. More
elaborately, polymers contains inherent properties in which it determines the polisher’s
gloss, hardness, toughness, scuff resistance, mark resistance, scratch resistance, soil
resistance, water resistance, detergent resistance, powder resistance, and slip resistance.
2.2 Polymers in plastics
Floor waxes or sometimes referred to as floor polisher compromises a certain type of
emulsion known as polymer emulsions. According to Ezmeralda Lee, polymer emulsions
influence the performance of the wax and provide connection between all other included
ingredients.1
“Plastics are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass, but they oftencontain
other substances. They are usually synthetic, most commonly derived from
petrochemicals, but many are partially natural”2, quoted from a source on a public
internet—Wikipedia. Specifically, plastic bags, contains polyethylene which are basically
a composition of different organic compounds that only vary in the value of n.

11. Chapter Three
Methodology
3.1 Materials and Procedure
Materials
 Coconut milk
 Home-based cooking oil
 Waste plastic bags
 Paraffin wax
 500 mL Beaker
 Sieving cloth
 Tripod
 Alcohol lamp
Procedure
1) Pour coconut milk into pan/beaker and stir gradually until it turns into oil.
2) Add the paraffin wax and continue to stir.
3) Ona separate container, pour in cooking oil and wait until it heats up before adding the
waste plastic bags (make sure they are thoroughly cleaned).
4) Once melted, add the melted plastics into the coconut oil and paraffin wax mixture and
continue to stir for 1-5 minutes.
5) Pour it on from the container to a steel molding tray and let it cool.

12. 3.2 Results and Findings
Table 1.
SET UP Coconut Oil Paraffin Wax Melted Plastics Observations
1 1 cup (100 mL) 1 cup 1 cup *Color is dark brown
*Product is too wet
2 1 cup (100 mL) 1/2 cup 1 cup *Color is light brown
*Product is not of
wax-consistency
3 1/2 cup (50 mL) 1/2 cup 1 cup *Color is
off-white/dirty white
*Product is almost too
dry

13. Table 2.
SET UP Coconut Oil Paraffin Wax Plastic Bags Observations
TRIAL 1 50 mL 6.25 mL 1 gram *Product became too
wet
*It took too long to melt
plastics
TRIAL 2 50 mL 6.25 mL *Product did became
waxy but not enough
3.3 Analysis of Data and Conclusion
As far as the research had been conducted, it is at least safe to say that the researchers
have found the closest wax-like consistency among the trials conducted however, the
insurance of plastic composition is not yet fully approved by the researchers themselves.
Out of all the trials, Trial 2 in the first table is the closest to the desired product.

14. 3.4 Recommendation
As far as the study had stopped, the researchers would very much appeal to
recommend for future studies to:
 Create a more pleasing scent for the floor polisher, hence the use of detergents soaps;
the researchers would terminate the idea of using sweet-smelling fruits to be used for it
could possibly attract ants.
 Cover a wide range of test subject
 Determine the possibility of different kinds of plastic materials to be used.
 Test the finished product and find out how long it’s shine would last compared to a
commercial product under the same controlled natural forces acting upon it.

15. Sources
#1. Lee, Ezmeralda, “What are the ingredients in floor wax?”,
http://www.ehow.com/about_5127779_ingredients-floor-wax.html
#2. Wikipedia, “Plastics,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic