DEVELOPMENT OF BIOMASS BASED PLASTIC RESINS

FROM NATURAL ALGAL POLYSACCHARIDES

A Research Paper

Presented to
the Faculty and Staff of
Philippine Science High School Cagayan Valley Campus
Masoc, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

in Research 2

JUSTIN RICHMOND C. DOMINGO

December 2011
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The researcher would like to extend his heartfelt gratitude to numerous individuals
who guided, encouraged, and inspired him throughout this research. Without them, this study
would have not been possible:
Dr. Salvador B. Romo, Campus Director of the Philippine Science High School
Cagayan Valley Campus, for his go signals whenever they needed to do his experiments;
Dr. Marco Nemesio Montao, professor of the Marine Science Institute, University of
the Philippines Diliman Campus, for his help in giving ideas on how to start his research,
for introducing him the natural algal polysaccharides and for his correspondence;
Dr. Aimee Marie C. Gragasin, the PSHS-CVC Curriculum and Instructions Services
Division Chief, for supporting them and allowing him to work on this research;
Dr. Veronica D. Martinez, his research teacher, for helping him in his paper and
laboratory works and for giving her suggestions and for urging for the success of the paper;
Dr. Gaudencio M. Natividad, his research adviser, for encouraging him to pursue this
kind of this study, for lending references that have added information on the research
subjects, for giving him more ideas on how to conduct his study, for assisting him during the
conduct of his experiment, for teaching the GraphPad Prism program, for his expert
suggestions and valuable feedback on the progress of the papers perfection, above all, for his
undying devotion in helping them develop his scientific attitudes throughout this research;
Mr. Wowee Rey P. Ariza, the PSHS-CVC Research and Extension and Coordinator,
for supporting him in finishing the paper, for his suggestions in the study and for his patience
and willingness to produce numerous copies of his paper;

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Ms. Catherine Joy A. Addauan, Ms. Maricel B. Dumlao, and Mr. Sadiri S. Corpuz,
for guiding him in the primary stages of the study, for their suggestions, and for their never
ending support;
Mr. John Rich Manalo and Mr. Russell Owen O. Viloria, for giving him further
information regarding the CorelDraw software;
Mrs. Cristina Valeros, for allowing him to use equipment in the Science Laboratory;
Mr. Byron Terenz D. Leao, his class adviser, for his positive thoughts throughout
the conduct of the study;
The Domingo and Carreon Family, for their help in gathering the materials and test
subjects prior this experiment and for their nonstop love and support;
The Batch 2012, for their cheers, supports, and prayers;
To our ever loving Almighty Father, who continues to guide, inspire, and support him
in this research and his everyday lives;
And for all those who were not mentioned who deserved their gratitude, thank you
very much.

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ABSTRACT

Seaweeds are best known for its polysaccharides, namely agar, alginate and
carrageenan, which exhibit properties similar to plant starch. They are widely used now in
various fields of science particularly in biology but so far, there were no scientific
approaches yet in the use of the polysaccharides as polymers for plastic products. With this
reason, this study sought to develop biodegradable and chemical-resistant biomass-based
plastic products from natural algal polysaccharides using steaming process.
The bioplastic resins were made by mixing the polysaccharides in aqueous solutions
of glycerol, which were then steamed for 15 minutes. The steamed bioplastic resin mixtures
were then allowed to cool into a thick gel. They were then air-dried for a week to let the gel
harden into translucent bioplastic resin films. Different tests were made including the
biodegradability test in loam soil and open air and the general chemical resistance on acid,
base and salt solutions.
Results showed that the bioplastic resins are biodegradable in both loam soil and open
air reaching a mean final percent weight loss of 74.25% and 6.00%, respectively. Some
forms of biodegradation include deformations of the edges, the appearance of small holes,
and the presence of microbial colonies for resins in loam soil and thinning and shrinking for
resins in open air. For the general chemical resistance test, each type of bioplastic resin
responded differently for each type of chemical and as time passed by. Some changes
observed include gum formations, particle coagulation, color changes, and shrinking. At the
end of the test, all the grinded bioplastic resins dried having new distinct properties.

Based on the results, this study recommends the use and application of the
synthesized bioplastic resins as biodegradable and chemical-resistant plastic products. In this
manner, the impact of the improper use and disposal of conventional petrochemical plastic
products can be lessened.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE
TITLE PAGE..............................................................................................................................i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................................ii
ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................................iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS.........................................................................................................vi
LIST OF TABLES.....................................................................................................................x
LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................................xi
I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................1
A. Background of the Study...................................................................................................1
B. Statement of the Problems.................................................................................................2
C. Statement of the Hypotheses.............................................................................................3
D. Significance of the Study..................................................................................................3
E. Scope and Limitations.......................................................................................................4
F. Definition of Terms...........................................................................................................5
II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES.................................................8
A. Natural Algal Polysaccharides..........................................................................................8
A.1. Description................................................................................................................8
A.2. Major Classes of Phycocolloids................................................................................8

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A.2.i. Agar.................................................................................................................8
A.2.ii. Alginate..........................................................................................................9
A.2.iii. Carrageenan................................................................................................10
B. Biomass-based Plastics...................................................................................................11
B.1. Description..............................................................................................................11
B.2. Applications............................................................................................................11
B.3. Environmental Impact.............................................................................................11
C. Methods of Evaluating the Effectiveness and Quality of Plastic Resins........................12
C.1. Biodegradability......................................................................................................12
C.2. General Chemical Resistance..................................................................................13
III. METHODOLOGY............................................................................................................15
A. Research Design..............................................................................................................15
B. Research Environment....................................................................................................17
C. Materials and Equipment................................................................................................17
D. Research Method.............................................................................................................19
D.1. Bioplastic Resin Making.........................................................................................19
D.2. Biodegradability Test..............................................................................................21
D.3. General Chemical Resistance Test..........................................................................22
D.4. Disposal Method.....................................................................................................23
E. Statistical Tool.................................................................................................................24
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IV. PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA.........................26

A. General Observations....................................................................................................26
A.1. Raw Bioplastic Resin Mixtures.............................................................................26
A.2. Steamed Bioplastic Resins....................................................................................27
A.3. Air-Dried Bioplastic Resins..................................................................................28
B. Biodegradability Test....................................................................................................28
B.1. Loam Soil..............................................................................................................29
B.2. Effect of the Bioplastic Resin and Time on Loam Soil Biodegradability.............33
B.3. Open Air...........................................................................................................38
C. General Chemical Resistance.......................................................................................41
C.1. Hydrochloric Acid................................................................................................41
C.2. Sodium Hydroxide...............................................................................................42
C.3. Sodium Chloride..................................................................................................44
C.4. Distilled Water.....................................................................................................45
V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS......................................47
A. Summary.......................................................................................................................47
B. Conclusions....................................................................................................................48
C. Recommendations..........................................................................................................48
APPENDIX A..........................................................................................................................50
APPENDIX B..........................................................................................................................54
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APPENDIX C..........................................................................................................................58
BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................................69

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE
PAGE
3.1. Multiple Time Series Design with Randomization for the Biodegradability Test...........16
3.2. Multiple Time Series Design with Randomization for the General Chemical Resistance
Test...........................................................................................................................................18
4.1. Summary of the Physical Characteristics of the Powders of the Natural Algal
Polysaccharides........................................................................................................................26
4.2. Summary of the Differences in the Forms and Colors of the Raw Bioplastic Resin
Mixtures...................................................................................................................................27
4.3. Summary of the Differences in the Colors of the Steamed Bioplastic Resins..................28
4.4. Mean Biodegradability of the Bioplastic Resins in Loam Soil.........................................29
4.5. Two-Way RM ANOVA on the Percent Weight Losses of the Bioplastic Resins in Loam
Soil...........................................................................................................................................33
4.6. Bonferroni Posttests on the Percent Weight Losses of the Resins in Loam Soil..............34
4.7. Bonferroni Posttests on the Percent Weight Losses of the Bioplastic Resins and the Mean
Percent Weight Loss in Loam Soil..........................................................................................36
4.8. Mean Biodegradability of Bioplastic Resins in Open Air...............................................39

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LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE
PAGE
2.1. The Chemical Structure of an Agar Polymer......................................................................9
2.2. The Chemical Structure of an Alginate Polymer................................................................9
2.3. The Chemical Structure of a Carrageenan Monomer.......................................................10
3.1. Paradigm of the Biodegradability Test.............................................................................16
3.2. Paradigm of the General Chemical Resistance Test.........................................................17
3.3. General Research Method.................................................................................................25
4.1. Mean Biodegradability of the Bioplastic Resins in Loam Soil.........................................30
4.2. Mean Biodegradability of the Bioplastic Resins in Open Air..........................................40

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