Biodegradation of Polyethylene

Significance of the Study

Materials:

Methods:

Background of the Study

• 40 plastic sheets
• 2 lamium plants
• 500g conventional yeast
• 5L warm water
• 50g mycelia
• 8 cylindrical containers
• Soil

• Place 5 plastic sheets in each container
• Two containers empty, two with yeast and water mixture, two with soil and lamium plant, and the last two with mycelia.
• The set-up B with yeast is kept at constant lukewarm temperature, the set-up C with the lamium plant is kept outdoors, and the set-up D with mycelia is kept inside a cold dark place.
• After 50 days, the sheets were taken out, cleaned, and measured using the Analysis Tool of Photoshop.

Students will be made aware of the effects of polyethylene in the environment and help lessen its accumulation, to understand more about plastic like its composition and how it can be decomposed.

Teachers would be able to educate students the gravity of the matter of plastic pollution and how it can be solved, to let the students understand more about plastic.

Government can put the study into a wide-scaled action for the welfare of our environment and for the future generations, to help lessen the accumulation of plastic.

To address the issue, we need something to lessen the amount of time it takes to decompose plastic, and that is the aim of our project.

Plastic is omnipresent in our daily lives and the environmental impacts resulting from the accumulation of plastic waste are huge and increasing. Scientists have developed biodegradable plastic, however, the problem remains. What about the plastic that are already piling up? The solution to this problem is to biodegrade the plastic faster, because despite the popular belief that plastic cannot decompose, it actually can biodegrade just that it takes hundreds to thousands of years.

Scope and Delimitation:

This investigative study is concerned only on the effect of certain biological catalysts, in this case, the microorganisms, on the rate of plastic degradation. It involves only the effects on polyethylene and may not be applicable for other types of plastics.

The investigators are also limited only to materials that can be easily found in the environment or bought in various department stores. This experiment lasts for only a few days, therefore the data is only valid for the duration of the investigation.

Statement of the Problem:

Results:

What are the effects of the different biological catalysts on the biodegradation of polyethylene?

Which catalyst can accelerate polyethylene faster?

Conclusion:

Hypotheses:

1. The conventional yeast can accelerate the rate of biodegradation of polyethylene.

2. The pseudomonas fluorescens and sphingomonads on the roots of lamium plants can accelerate the rate of biodegradation of polyethylene.

3. The mycelia can accelerate the rate of biodegradation of polyethylene.

Objectives:

• The presence of yeast was able to accelerate the biodegradation of polyethylene by a small but measurable percentage.
• The presence of microorganisms in the root system of lamiums was able to accelerate the biodegradation of polyethylene by a notable percentage.
• The presence of mycelia has no effect on the biodegradation of polyethylene.

References:

Science

Investigative Project

In this investigation, we hasten the biodegradation process of polyethylene. This specific type of plastic was chosen because it is the most commonly used plastic which is also non-biodegradable.

The investigation made use of biological catalysts which can be easily found or acquired.

Through this investigation, we hope to lessen the accumulation of plastic in the landfills using common and inexpensive materials and microorganisms.

• Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. (2014). Germany: Fritz Ullmann
• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology Research. p. 248-257. (2012). India: Chetna Sharon and Madhuri Sharon
• The Characterization of Pseudomonas fluorescens. J. Gen. Microbiol. 21: p.221-265. (1959). UK: Muriel E. Rhodes
• The yeast handbook Biodiversity and ecophysiology of yeasts. p.533-559. (2006). Germania: C. A. Rosa and G. Peter
• Degradative plasmids from sphingomonads. (2013). Germany: Andreas Stolz
• http://www.plasticsindustry.org/AboutPlastics/content.cfm?ItemNumber=1400&navItemNumber=1128
• http://www.microtack.com/html/enzyme1.htm
• http://ei.cornell.edu/biodeg
• http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-pseudomonas-fluorescens.htm
• http://www.davidcwhite.org/fulltext/416.pdf
• http://www.takepart.com/oceans/plastic-pollution

Researchers:

You Jin Kim Song

Keith Benedict Jaleco Bretaña

Christopher Marie Borres Lucero

Rachel Ann Lorisse Jalbuena Respicio

from 10-Justice

Biodegradation of Polyethylene