Ocean.Bioplas: The Plasticity of Marine Exoskeleton-Inspired Materials and Their Degradability in the Environment

Overview

Objective/Goals: She ll waste contains useful compounds: chitin, calcium carbonate, and protein which influence its physical properties. Yet unlike plastics, they can naturally degrade in the environment. Inspired by the concept of marine exoskeleton composition, I developed alternative materials to combat the short-lived/single-use plastic problem. Methods/Materials: Pro ject development took place in 4 stages: Preliminary, Experimental, Degradation testing in 5 different settings for 12 weeks, and Enhancement. Using permutations, I formulated the ratios/combinations and derived mathematical inequalities that define intervals where formation was achieved. Results: The physical pr operties range from thin, flexible films to more rigid, composite-like structures. Chitosan (chitin derivative) and CaCO3 have positive correlations to tensile strength while diminishing flexibility. Each gram of Chitosan increases tensile strength by 15%-154% depending on the ratios/combinations, while each gram of CaCO3 increases tensile strength by 5%-13%. The addition of protein improves tensile strength up to 5 times. Biodegradation in organic soil occurs faster than photodegradation in saltwater. Melanin in squid ink slightly accelerates the degradation process, with minimal effect on tensile strength and flexibility. Conclusion/Discussion: The rat ios/combinations of compound derived from shell waste determine the qualities and applications. Some Ocean.Bioplas successfully biodegraded in 12 weeks in organic soil, which meets ASTM D6400 for 60% conversion in industrial composting facilities in 180 days and has the potential to photodegrade in saltwater up to 54% based on linear projection. Ocean.Bioplas has comparable tensile strength up to 32.5 N/mm² surpassing some regular plastics, including polystyrene and LDPE, according to ASTM D638. Prototypes were successfully created.

Competition history

JSHS 2020 Category not listed

Resources

National JSHS abstract book

Related projects

ISEF · 2019