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Eggshell As Nano

Gael Neighbors tested the strength of bioplastics made from different starches to determine which type makes the strongest bioplastic. Bioplastics were created using tapioca, corn, arrowroot, rice, and potato starches. Arrowroot starch produced the strongest and most flexible bioplastic, able to stretch further than others before breaking. Starch-based bioplastics were stronger than flour-based. Arrowroot's fine texture allowed molecules to pack tightly, resulting in the strongest bioplastic. Its flexibility suggests it could replace plastics in clothing and help address pollution issues.

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SiddharthBhasney
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33 views1 page

Eggshell As Nano

Gael Neighbors tested the strength of bioplastics made from different starches to determine which type makes the strongest bioplastic. Bioplastics were created using tapioca, corn, arrowroot, rice, and potato starches. Arrowroot starch produced the strongest and most flexible bioplastic, able to stretch further than others before breaking. Starch-based bioplastics were stronger than flour-based. Arrowroot's fine texture allowed molecules to pack tightly, resulting in the strongest bioplastic. Its flexibility suggests it could replace plastics in clothing and help address pollution issues.

Uploaded by

SiddharthBhasney
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CALIFORNIA SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FAIR

2019 PROJECT SUMMARY

Name(s) Project Number


Gael Neighbors
J1316
Project Title
Which Type of Starch Makes a Stronger Bioplastic?

Abstract
Objectives
Strong bioplastics that are biodegradable might provide a solution to plastic pollution. My project
investigated bioplastics made from different types of starch to compare how strong they were. I tested the
hypothesis that starches with a finer texture will form stronger bioplastics because their molecules are more
tightly packed.
Methods
Six bioplastics were prepared to the same size and shape with an identical method but using different
starches: tapioca starch, cornstarch, arrowroot starch, rice flour, potato flour or potato starch. The bioplastics
were then extended from the edge of a table and the distance until breaking or reaching a test limit of 5.5cm
recorded. The average result from four replicate tests was calculated for each bioplastic as a measure of
strength.
Results
The bioplastic made from arrowroot starch could be extended further than the other bioplastics before
reaching the test limit. The six bioplastics ranked from strongest to weakest as follows: arrowroot starch,
tapioca starch, cornstarch, potato starch, rice flour and potato flour. In addition, arrowroot starch was the
only bioplastic which could be bent to the test limit without breaking.
Conclusions
My conclusion is that arrowroot starch made the strongest and most flexible bioplastic. In addition, I noticed
the bioplastics that were starch-based, rather than flour-based, were stronger and they were all made from
finer grained powder consistent with my hypothesis that finer textured starches can form stronger bioplastics
because their molecules are more tightly packed.
I also observed that flexibility was an important component of strength for the arrowroot bioplastic. Further
research is suggested to determine if a flexible bioplastic made from arrowroot could replace the plastics
currently being used for some clothing, e.g. waterproof ponchos. To address this, it would be important to
test how well the arrowroot bioplastic could withstand water. This could have important consequences for
our environment because any bioplastic that was able to replace the plastic we use today in making clothing
would help solve some of the plastic pollution issues that are harming our world.

Summary Statement
After making bioplastics from six different starches, I found that arrowroot was the strongest with a
flexibility that may be suitable to replace some of the plastics currently used in today's clothing to help
reduce plastic pollution.
Help Received
I made and tested the bioplastics myself with parental supervision for working on the hot stove and
handling the hot bioplastic mixtures.

Ap2/19

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