Chapter 1

NTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The burning of plastics in the environment is a very high-risk factor that effects

in air pollution. While the government is looking for new and efficient alternative roots

of plastic at the same time minimize its effects and to be eco-friendly, they have been

implementing orders to ban shop keepers from giving out plastic bags to the customers

for carrying their purchases with the small lasting effect, but it does not entirely solve

the problem.

Plastic bags are popular among the retailers and customers because it is low-

cost, firm, lightweight, and handy. It carries not just groceries fresh from the

supermarket but also other things. However, plastics are one of the factors for causing

pollution, wildlife killings, and taking the resources of this planet, earth.

It takes less time for the biodegradable plastic to be decomposed or breaks after

being thrown away, if they are not recycled, well, this means that it gets absorbed by

the Earth, in that way, it will eliminate the number of plastics that are dominating our

land.

Plastics are useful since it can be used for containing the food and water

consumed each and every day. But it could be very harmful to the environment. That is

why there is a need to have an alternative source of organic plastic, and one of these is
taro. Taro is biodegradable and there is no problem in burning, or just piling it up on the

ground.

The use of biodegradable plastic helps people by using less energy in producing it. It

means that people could produce twice the number of the non-biodegradable plastic in

a given time. As such, it does not have chemicals which are harmful to humans and to

the environment. With all the reasons stated above, it is imperative therefore to study

Taro as an alternative source of biodegradable plastic.

Statement of the Problem

The study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Taro (C. esculenta) as an

alternative source of biodegradable plastic. Specifically, it strives to answer the

following question:

1. What are the properties of Taro bioplastic in terms of:

a) resistance to heat;

b) tensile strength;

c) durability; and

d) biodegradability in the effectivity between bioplastic from Taro

(C. esculenta) and regular plastic

Objectives of the Study

The aims of the study are to determine the effectivity of Taro (C. esculenta) as

an alternative source of biodegradable plastic. Specifically, it seeks to:

 1. determine the properties of Taro (C. esculenta) bioplastic in terms of resistance

to heat, tensile strength and durability and biodegradability in the effectivity

between bioplastic from Taro (C. esculenta) and regular plastic

2. compare the differences of properties between bioplastic made from Taro and

regular plastic

Hypothesis of the Study

Ho : There is no significant difference in the effectivity between bioplastic made

from Taro and regular plastic

Ha: There is a significant difference in the effectivity between bioplastic made from

Taro and regular plastic

Significance of the Study

The results of this study would provide benefits to the society as part of the

environment in which it helps to find answer to matters that dealt with plastic. The

results of the study is developing biodegradable plastic when it is a huge blow to lessen,

if not totally, eliminate the global concern.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study will only be limited to the identification of the effectiveness of Taro

(C. Esculenta) roots as an alternative source of biodegradable plastic.

Definition of Terms

Biodegradable is capable of broken down or be decomposed quickly by living

organisms.
 Taro is a perennial, tropical plant primarily grown as a root vegetable for its
edible starchy corn, and as a leaf vegetable.
Resistance to heat is the willingness to tolerate heat from melting.
Resistance to solubility: A state wherein it can be dissolved especially in water
or the dissolved substance that can be mixed in a given amount of another substance.
Durability is staying strong and in good condition over a long period of time.
Tensile strength is the greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without
tearing apart.
 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Taro (Colocasia esculenta)

Taro (C. esculenta), also called eddo or dasheen, herbaceous plant of the family

Araceae. Probably native to southeastern Asia, whence it spread to Pacific islands, it

became a staple crop, cultivated for its large, starchy, spherical underground tubers,

which are consumed as cooked vegetables, made into puddings and breads, and also

made into the Polynesian poi, a thin, pasty, highly digestible mass of fermented

taro starch. The large leaves of the taro are commonly stewed.

Taro is cultivated in rich, well-drained soil. The tubers are harvested seven

months after planting. Taro leaves and tubers are poisonous if eaten raw; the acrid

calcium oxalate they contain must first be destroyed by heating. (Editors of

Encyclopedia Britannica, 1998)

It is the most widely raised or grown on a farm or under the controlled conditions

species of several plants. C. esculenta is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated

plants. It is native in the South Asia, Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East

Asia. It has a lot of local name and the C. esculenta is called Gabi in the Philippines. It

can be grown in a wet field where rice could be also grown and where water is existing

or occurring in large amounts. The C. esculenta is one of the few crops (together with

rice) that can also survive and could be grown under the flooded conditions. This is

because of the air spaces in the petiole, a slender stem that supports the blade of the
leaves. This can allow underwater gaseous exchange with the atmosphere. The C.

esculenta can be harvested when the physical characteristics change, just like when the

plant height decreases and when the leaves turns yellow. The C. Esculenta has a lot of

health benefits, it includes the ability to improve a person’s digestive health, it can

prevent cancer, and it can improve a person’s vision health. It can also boost a person’s

immune system and the blood circulation of the body. To students, the C. Esculenta can

enhance learning; it has vitamin B1 or Thiamine which can help increase focus, energy,

fight chronic stress and prevents memory loss. But it has high-calorie content, every 100

grams of the C. Esculenta contains 112 calories. Bioplastic from starch: an economically

and environmentally sustainable reality. (Food and Agriculture Organization Of The

United Nations, 2010)

Plastic

The word plastic came from the Greek word “plastikos”, meaning capable of

being molded. Plastics can be as hard as metal or as soft as silk. They can take any shape

in almost any form due to the versatility of the carbon, the most common backbone of

polymer chains. Plastics can be conveniently divided into two categories: semi-

synthetic, in which the basic chain structure is derived from a natural product, such as

cellulose; and synthetic, which is built up chemically from small units or monomers.

Despite the various applications of plastics, drawbacks have been encountered in three

major points. Firstly, there are certain chemicals used in the manufacture of. Plastics

that may cause allergic reactions. Three is a need man from this threat. Secondly, since
cellulose films are biodegradable; they are readily attacked by bacteria. Films and

packaging materials from synthetic polymers are normally attacked at a very low rate.

New polymers such is nylon, polyvinyl chloride and Polystyrene have replaced

cellulose, the pioneer plastic material. As a result, these plastic materials have become

permanent wastes. (Helmenstine, 2016)

Since Polystyrene is known to leach styrene, which can damage the nervous

system. The hotter the food is the more styrene leaches from those containers which

means using them for hot foods and drinks may be worst of all. Another plastic is the

#3. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is found in bags for bedding, meat wrap, plastic toys and

packs used to store medications. This plastic contains poisonous chemicals including

Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). This chemical is a type of phthalate used as a plastics

softener. Causing males of many species to become more female. These chemicals have

disrupted the endocrine systems of wildlife, causing testicular cancer, genital

deformations, low sperm counts and infertility in a number of species, including polar

bears, deer, whales and many more. (Mercola, 2013)

Knowing that it is very harmful it is encouraged to use safe and biodegradable

things. Plastics lead to landfills. Covered below each one of them, poisonous chemicals

just like mentioned above from plastics seep into groundwater, flowing next into lakes

and rivers.

With this study, Plastics will not end up in the landfills and will pile up for an

average of 450 years considering some bottles takes 1000 years to biodegrade because

When something is biodegradable, soil, air or moisture decompose it so that it becomes

part of the land. Plastics can contain more and more of preservatives. Any plastic can

extract, depending on the conditions just like the temperature and also what chemicals

or ingredients are added on plastics. If possible, it is suggested to avoid using plastics,

especially in toys or other products for children, and products that associates with foods

and drinks.

Plastic bags are harmful, by polluting the environment, and kills animals

including aquatic life. About a hundred million plastic bags are used every year in the

US alone. If someone considers the huge economies and population of India, China,

Europe and other parts of the world, numbers can be staggering, or be amazed. The

problem is continuing to be a bad situation by the developing countries like India; plastic

bags are highly used by everybody. Plastic bags are being used; most bags go into land

fill or rubbish tips. Every year, more and more bags are ending up littering the

environment. If they become litter, plastic bags find their way into the water ways,

parks, streets, beaches, and if they burned they fill the air with toxic fumes. About

10,000 animals such as dolphins, turtles, penguins, whales are killed every year due to

this plastic waste. Many animals ingest plastic bags mistaking it for food, and eventually

die. And worse, the ingested plastic bag remains intact even after the death and

decomposition of that animal. One of the worst environmental effects is that they are

non-biodegradable. The decomposition takes place in abo0ut 400 years. (Henderson,

2017)

Plastic is one of mankind’s more confounding inventions; while its

innovations have ushered in convenience and advances like few other materials, it’s
very nature is rife with contradiction. It’s remarkably durable; it’s cheap and easy to

manufacture, making it the first choice for single-use items. (Melissa Breyer, 2016)

Bioplastic

Biodegradable plastics can be composed of bio-plastics, which are plastics made

from renewable raw materials. There are normally two forms of biodegradable plastic,

injection molded and solid. The solid forms normally are used for items such as food

containers, leaf collection bags, and water bottles.

Biodegradable plastics do have some drawbacks. For example, they do not

decompose unless they are disposed of properly, meaning that biodegradable plastics

must be treated similarly to compost. The natural breakdown of the plastic will not occur

if it is simply tossed in a landfill with other trash. This is something that concerned

citizens will need to be mindful of. Some scientists also suggest that greenhouse gases

are locked within the plastic and are released into the atmosphere when composted.

However, everything used in the production of biodegradable plastic is natural. As such,

these plastics do not contain the harmful chemicals and materials that traditional plastics

do.

Some biodegradable materials do contain small pieces of metal. There is concern

that when biodegradable plastics break down, those metals will be released into the

environment. However, to date there is no evidence of that causing any significant

issues.
 The benefits would seem to outweigh any potential drawbacks, but the question

of whether or not biodegradable plastics will someday replace traditional plastic is still

a matter of debate.

After formation, regular plastics hold carbon. When they are disposed of and

begin to decompose or when they are melted, that carbon is then released into the

atmosphere. Biodegradable plastics do not release carbon, because no carbon is

involved in the manufacturing process. Methane and other forms of pollutants could

also be released from traditional plastic when they are recycled and burned. This is not

the case with biodegradable plastics, which do not contain those polluting materials.

One of the many positive aspects of biodegradable plastics is that they are able

to be broken down by naturally occurring bacteria, which again will be beneficial to the

environment.

Aside from a slightly higher cost to produce, biodegradable plastics hold many

advantages over standard plastics, with a lesser impact on the environment being one of

its greatest advantages.

Biodegradable plastics are made from all-natural plant materials. These can

include corn oil, orange peels, starch, and plants. Traditional plastic is made with

chemical fillers that can be harmful to the environment when released when the plastic

is melted down. With biodegradable plastic, you get a substance made from natural

sources that does not contain these chemical fillers, and does not pose the same risk to

the environment.
 The process of making biodegradable plastics begins with the melting down of

all the materials. That mixture is then poured into molds of various shapes such as plastic

water bottles and utensils. (Connecticut Plastics, 2016)

 Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This study is an experimental design. The taro root will be treated as the

independent variable while the properties of biodegradable plastic for every amount of

the taro root will be treated as the dependent variable. This experimental design will use

a single group design. The duration of the study will be done July and August of 2018.

Materials and Equipment

The materials to be used in this study are taro, glycerin, water, and vinegar. The

equipment to be used are knife, spoon, pan, container, gloves, cloth, spatula, grater and

strainer.

Procedure

Gathering of Materials

Taro (C. Esculenta) will be bought at Valencia City Public Market and glycerin

will be bought at Mercury Drug.

Preparation of Taro

First, the taro will be peeled using a kitchen knife. Next, the peeled Taro roots will

be grated and placed in a container filled with water, then leave it for 2-3 minutes. After,

pour the water filled with grated Taro in a strainer, leaving the liquid to settle. After,
pour the liquid in another container, repeat the same step twice and let it dry. After

drying, the liquid turns into powder.

Making of bioplastic strips

A cooking pan will be added with 1 table spoon of the powdered Taro, ¼ cup of

water, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of glycerin; hence, mixing it well before

turning the fire on. While heating, keep on stirring until the white liquid forms into clear

gel-like liquid. When bubbles starts to form, it is a sign that the mixing of ingredients

are finish. Then pour the finished product into a container, then let it dry until it is not

anymore sticky. Henceforth, the product can be easily remove from the container.

Determination of Properties

a) The resistance to heat will be done after setting the mixture aside, the product

will then be placed on a watch glass which will then be placed under the heat of the sun.

b) Determining the tensile strength will be done by stretching the product using a

spring balance.

c) Durability time will be determined when the product is buried in a can full of

different types of specifically clay, loom and sand which will rest for 2-3 weeks.
 Chapter 4

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

The statistical analysis that will be used is descriptive statistics. Since it will test

the characteristic of the study. Providing the information about what happened during

the determination of properties.

 Chapter 5

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