Done by Stars group at Doha Secondary school for Boys Under supervision from AL-Bairaq

1. AL-BAIRAQ
I AM DISCOVERING MATERIALS
BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS
GROUP NAME
ABDALLAH MOSTAFA MOHAMMED SALEM
JASSIM AL-JABER HASSAN ALI

2. OUTLINE• Introduction
• Activity 1: Comparing packing materials (part
A&B)
• Activity 2: Hunting for biodegradable objects
• Activity 3: Processing biodegradable materials
and comparing their mechanical properties
– Part A: Processing gelatin into a gel and films
– Part B: Testing mechanical properties
• Activity 4: Measuring the degradation rates of
biodegradable materials
• Design Project: Designing a medicine release
capsule

3. INTRODUCTION
• Biodegradation: is the process by which organic
substances are decomposed by micro-organisms
(mainly aerobic bacteria) into simpler substances
such as carbon dioxide, water and ammonia

4. ACTIVITY 1: COMPARING
PACKING MATERIALS (PART A)
• Procedure:
1- Bring equal amounts of water in 2 Beaker.
2- add a different kinds of cork ( one is a
Biodegradable
and one is not )

5. ACTIVITY 1: COMPARING
PACKING MATERIALS (PART B)
• Results:
After the experiment we see the Biodegradable
cork is dissolved in water and the non-
biodegradable not effected in the water .

6. ACTIVITY 2: HUNTING FOR
BIODEGRADABLE OBJECTS
Biodegradable Materials Non-biodegradable Materials
is the process by which organic
substances are decomposed by
micro-organisms into simpler
substances .
substance is cannot be changed to a
harmless natural state by the action
of bacteria.
Example:
1-Food waste
2-papers
Examples:
1-plastic
2-aluminum cans

7. ACTIVITY 3: PROCESSING BIODEGRADABLE
MATERIALS AND COMPARING THEIR MECHANICAL
PROPERTIES
PART A: PROCESSING GELATIN INTO A GEL AND FILMS.
• Preparation:
• 1 capsule is 0.1 g
• Prepare 5% w/v film : 5 capsules + 10 ml HCl
• Prepare 10% w/v film : 10 capsules + 10 ml HCl
• Prepare 20% w/v film : 20 capsules + 10 ml HCl
• Procedure:
• Dissolve the capsules in the HCL on 60 Celsius degree
• Let dry for 2 days

8. ACTIVITY 3: PROCESSING
BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS AND
COMPARING THEIR MECHANICAL
PROPERTIES
PART B: TESTING MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
• Compare between the films and gel
• Observations:
5% and 10 % films
(Less concentration)
20 % gel
(More concentration)
Less Viscoucity More viscoucity
More Transparents Less transparents
Less thickness More thickness
White Nearly to orange

9. ACTIVITY 4: MEASURING THE
DEGRADATION RATES OF
BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS
• Objective: Test the effect of pH, temperature
and concentration on the degradation rates
of the gel, films, packing material (starch),
and gelatin capsule.
• Steps:

10. ACTIVITY 4: MEASURING THE DEGRADATION RATES OF
BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS
• Results:
Boiling water
PH=7
HCl
PH=4
NaOH
PH=10
5% 2 sec 1:30 min 3 min
20% 5 sec 6-8 min 10-11 min
Gelatin
Capsule
3 min 32-34 min 44-46 min
Packing material
(Starch)
11 min 3 hours 3 hours
• Conclusion:
1- when the concentration increase the rate of degradation
decrease.
2- The HCL is faster to degredat than NaOH.
3- The temperature is one of the fastest way to degredate if the
temperature increase the rate of breaking down the molecules
increase so the degredate increase.

11. DESIGN PROJECT: DESIGNING A
MEDICINE RELEASE CAPSULES
• Objective:
Simulation of drug release and capsule
degradation inside the human body
• Procedure:
• Drop Sodium alginate into Calcium
Chloride and wait for 10 minutes and then
filter the beads (capsules are ready)
• Soak the beads into colors (as medicine)
and wait for 30 minutes and then filter the
beads again
• Now the medicine capsules are ready
• Drop the capsules inside Sodium citrate
(human body) and notice what happens

12. DESIGN PROJECT: DESIGNING A
MEDICINE RELEASE CAPSULES
• Observations:
• We notices medicine release in the solution
• After a while, the capsules start to degrade
• Conclusion:
• Biodegradable materials are used heavily in medical and
industrial applications

13. FINAL PROJECT:
DEVELOP PLASTIC FROM YARD WASTE
• Introduction:
In an effort to make plastics more
environmentally friendly, we has found a way
to make plastics from yard waste. Traditional
plastics are made from oil and recently some
companies have been making plastic out of
food products , like cane sugar and corn
starch. But what if we make the plastic from
waste of yard . Of course it will be very useful
to the environment .

14. TITLE OF YOUR PROJECT IDEA
AIM OF THE WORK (OBJECTIVES) (‫البحث‬ ‫)هدف‬
1- to protect environment .
2- Minimize use of Petroleum products to Plastic Processing.
3- bioplastic Do not need catalysts to decompose
4- Minimize use of food material like :
- cane sugar : - corn starch :

15. TITLE OF YOUR PROJECT IDEA MATERIALS.
1-Yard Waste: includes leaves, grass clippings, tree trimmings, and
other plant materials.
2- lactic acid: is an organic compound. In its solid state, it is white and
water-solubleI its liquid state, it is colorless.
3-Calcium carbonate : is a chemical compound
. It is a common substance found in rocks as the
minerals calcite and aragonite

16. DEVELOP PLASTIC FROM YARD
WASTE
RESULTS: (‫)النتائج‬
• 1-Get bio-plastic can dissolves in the soil
2-minimize use of Petroleum products to Plastic
Processing.
3- keep our environment safe
• 4- industry bio-plastic by waste of the backyard.

17. DEVELOP PLASTIC FROM YARD
WASTE
RECOMMENDATIONS: (‫)التوصيات‬
• First we should use it in home . After we can
use it in a lot of places like * gardens – play
grounds
The cost of this product will be very few
compared to the conventional methods of the
plastic industry.

18. CONCLUSIONS
(OVERALL OF THE WHOLE
MODULE)
• We can use many materials to protect our
environment .
This product will help in many different
fields of works

19. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Many thanks to AL-Bairaq team from Center for
Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University for
supporting us during our journey with a AL-Bairaq.
Also, I would like to thank the sponsors UNESCO,
Qatar National Commission and Shell.