MAJLIS PEPERIKSAAN MALAYSIA

SIJIL TINGGI PERSEKOLAHAN MALAYSIA

SEKOLAH MENENGAH KEBANGSAAN TAMAN TASIK 
68000 AMPANG SELANGOR

GROUP MEMBERS:
LIEW GUAN XIAN (000623-14-0473)
ONG KEAN GUAN (000319-08-0453)
LEE JUN HONG (000309-14-1187)

CLASS :
T6S3F

TEACHER :
AZLINA BINTI TALIB
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We are really grateful because we managed to complete our STPM Chemistry Project within
the time given by our teacher Pn Azlina. This project cannot be done without the effort and
co-operation from our group members, Liew Guan Xian, Lee Jun Hong and Ong Kean Guan.
We also sincerely thank our Chemistry teacher, Pn Azlina for the guidance and
encouragement in finishing this project and also teaching us in this subject. Last but not least,
we would like to express our gratitude to the laboratory assistant for providing all the
apparatus needed for this project.
ABSTRACT

STARCH EXTRACTION FROM THE TUBERS OF A POTATO (SOLANUM

TUBEROSUM) OF THE SOLANACEAE FAMILY.

A bio-plastics can be made from the starch extracted from starch-rich plant such as potato
and cassava. In this project, the bio-plastics is made from the potato starch. The potato starch
is extracted from the potato by using the sedimentation extraction method. The potato is
blended with water and the potato water is filtered by using a strainer . The water sediments
in the bottom of the container is the extracted potato starch. The starch is then added with
water, glycerol, and vinegar in certain ratio and the mixture is heated. The mixture formed is
the bio-plastics . The plastics is then undergoes several test including the tensile strength test.
The relationship between the starch-glycerol ratio and the tensile strength of the plastics is
then obtained after the result is tabulated. The highest starch:glycerol ratioexhibited the
highest tensile strength .
(140 Words)
 CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITTLE PAGE

Acknowledgement i
Abstract ii
Contents iii
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background
1.2 Theory
1.3 Literature Review
1.4 Problem Statement
1.5 Objective
2.0 Methodology
2.1 Materials
2.2 Apparatus
2.3 Procedure
2.4 Data Collection
3.0 Interpretation of Data
3.1 Observations And Results
3.2 Interpretation and Discussion
4.0 Conclusion
References And Bibliography
Appendix
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
In this modern world, plastics is largely used in our daily life. However, the usage of the
plastics has causes a lot of damage to the environment . First, most of the plastics are no non-
biodegradable. They are also inert to chemical attack. Hence they do not break down when
disposed off in landfill sites. Dumping the plastic in the sea or river will clog up drains, sewer
and rivers and causing flash flood. Disposable plastics used in packaging foodstuff meant
for human consumption contain harmful compounds. Improper disposal of these packaging
products leads to these harmful compounds finding their way to water bodies, where they
dissolve over a long time due to their non-biodegradable nature. Littered plastics are also
harmful to animals because they occasionally eat them and die.  Additionally, plastics
fabrication involves the use of potentially dangerous chemicals, which are added as
stabilizers or colorants. Most of these chemicals have not undergone an ecological risk
appraisal, and their impact on human well-being and the environment is presently vague.
One example is phthalates, which are used in the manufacture of PVC.
To overcome this problem, we can replace the industry plastics by using bio-plastics. Bio-
plastics are made from sustainable sources and they naturally break down much faster than
traditional plastics, which would avoid them from contributing to “plastic islands”. These
plastics are equally strong and versatile as traditional plastics, and are already used in sectors
such as agriculture, textiles, medicine, and particularly in wrappings and packaging. The
advantages of bio-plastics are reduced carbon footprint, savings in energy during production,
non-renewable sources are not consumed, reduction of non-biodegradable waste, which
pollutes the environment, and they do not alter the flavour and smell of food they store.
Besides that, Bio-based plastics can help to reduce the dependency on limited fossil
resources, which are expected to become significantly more expensive in the coming decades.
1.2 Theory
Polymer is a long chained macromolecule formed by many smaller molecules called
monomers. Polymer can be divided into two types depending on the types of monomers:
a) Homopolymers: Polymer formed from the same monomers
b) Copolymers: Polymer formed from two or more different types of monomers

Polymers can be divided into two groups depending on the sources:

a) Natural polymers
b) Synthetic polymers

Both polymer play essential and ubiquitous roles in everyday life. Natural polymer is
polymer synthesized in nature by living organisms
Example:
Natural polymers Monomers
Carbohydrates, starch, cellulose Glucose

Proteins. Silk, DNA Amino acids

Natural rubber Isoprene

(2-methylbuta-1,3-diene)

Cellulose
The most common natural polymer is cellulose. Cellulose comes from trees and plants.
Cellulose consists of long, stretched out strands of glucose, the sugar that plants make
during photosynthesis. These stretched out cellulose polymers form very strong supports
for the plant, which is why trees can stand as tall as they do. These stretched out cellulose
polymers also form the fibers in cotton and hemp, which can be used to make clothes.
Cellulose fibers also make paper products.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates, another group of polymers, form from glucose, just like cellulose. Sugar
and starches, both forms of carbohydrates, serve as food for plants and animals. The
glucose monomers connect differently in carbohydrates than in cellulose, though, bunching
up instead of stretching out. This bunching up of the polymer chain means that the
carbohydrates take up less room, letting plants store their food in fruits and vegetables like
potatoes and carrots.

Rubber

Natural rubber comes from the latex (a special type of sap) of rubber trees. While most
natural polymers are condensation polymers, natural rubber is an addition polymer formed
from isoprene monomers. Natural rubber bounces and stretches because of the monomer
connections. The monomers of a similar natural polymer called gutta-percha connect
differently, resulting in a brittle rather than flexible material.

Synthetic polymers are polymers synthesized in the laboratory. From the utility point of view
they can be classified into three main categories: Thermoplastics, Thermosetting plastics and
elastomers. They are found commonly in a variety of consumer products
Example:
Synthetic Polymer Repeating Units Monomers
Poly(ethene) or
Polyethylene (P.E.)

Poly(chloroethene) or
Polyvinyl Chloride
(PVC)

Poly(tetrafluoroethene)
or teflon

Type of polymer Structure Properties

Thermoplastics No cross-linkages Can be softened by heating and
be remoulded

Thermosetting Extensive cross-linkages

Hard, rigid and moulded only
once
Elastomer Small degree of cross- Elastic
linkages

There are two types of polymerisation:

a) Condensation polymerisation
b) Addition polymerization
c) Condensation polymerisation
Reaction between two smaller molecules to form a large molecule by eliminating a very
small molecule. The monomers of condensation polymer have different empirical formulae.
The monomers must have a least two terminal functional groups.
Example:
i) Terylene (Polyester)
(1) Held together by ester (-coo-) linkages
(2) Form by benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid and ethane-1,2-diol
(3) It is a copolymer
(4) Water molecule is losing

ii) Nylon-6,6 (Polyamide)

(1) Held together by amide (-CONH-) linkages
(2) Form by hexane-1,6-dioic acid and hexane-1,6-diamine
(3) It is a copolymer
(4) Water molecule is losing

Addition Polymerisation

Monomers with double bonds are joined together by covalent bonds. The empirical formula
of the polymer is the same as that of the monomer. The monomers which are unsaturated
molecules become saturated molecules in the polymers. The monomer of addition
polymerisation may be alkenes or alkene derivatives. Addition polymerisation may occur by
three different mechanisms:
a) Free radical mechanism
b) Ionic mechanism
c) Coordination mechanism

Polymers formed from alkenes and substituted alkenes can exist in three isomeric forms:
Isotactic, Syndiotactic and atatic
Isotactic isomer: All the substituent group have the same orientation along the polymer
chain
Syndiotactic isomer: Every alternate substituent group is orientated in the same way along
the polymer chain
Atatic isomer: The substituent groups have random orientation along the polymer chain.
In addition polymerisation, Ziegler-Natta catalyst is very useful to form a isotactic or
syndiotactic polymer. Ziegler-Natta can stereospecific to either isotactic or syndiotactic
polymer from atactic polymer. Polymer produced are linear with litter or no branched chain.
Hence these polymers are crystalline, have higher density and melting points. Harder and
have greater tensile strength, resistance to heat and cracking.
Starch is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined
by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants as energy storage.
It is the most common carbohydrate in human diets and is contained in large amounts in
foods like potatoes, wheat and rice. There are two products which can form: amylopectine
and amylose. For amylose, there are no branchings in the chain ,in contrary to amylopectine,
and, as a consequence, amylose is less soluble in water than amylopectine because its
molecules do not link to water molecules via hydrogen bonds.

The starch we used has large proportion of amylopectin than amylose. When starch is dried
from an aqueous solution it forms a film as a result of hydrogen bonding between the chains.
However, the amylopectin inhibits the formation of the film. Vinegar is used due to the
reaction between the hydrogen ions inside the vinegar and the starch polymers can enable
them to be disorder more easily in the solution. The disorder is caused by the disruption of
water and ionization due to the acetic acid, which results in a more homogenous cast film.
Water also plays an important role in the production of bio-plastic. First, it acts as a solvent to
dissolve the starch. Secondly, it helps the starch molecules to stay disrupted after heating.
When glycerin is added to the mixture, the film is more flexible. Plasticizers work by
embedding themselves between the chains of polymers, increasing the spacing and free
volume between chains, which prevents close packing of the polymer chains. This decreases
the glass transition temperature of the polymer and results in a lower degree of crystallinity in
the film. Due to this, the film is softer and more flexible

1.3 Literature Review

Biodegradable and compostable plastics, especially those based on renewable resources from
the agricultural industry, are an essential innovation. This innovation offers substantial
impulses for the future technologies. Bio-plastics based on starch use the benefits of natural
polymerization and the availability of raw material and process technology.
Parkesine (nitrocellulose) is the first bio-plastic was patented by Alexander Parkes, in
Birmingham, England in 1856. It was unveiled at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in
London. Parkesine won a bronze medal at the 1862 World's fair in London. Parkesine was
made from cellulose (the major component of plant cell walls) treated with nitric acid as a
solvent. The output of the process (commonly known as cellulose nitrate or pyroxylin) could
be dissolved in alcohol and hardened into a transparent and elastic material that could be
molded when heated. By incorporating pigments into the product, it could be made to
resemble ivory.

While most plastics are produced from petrochemicals, bio-plastics are plastic materials
produced from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, straw,
wood chips, sawdust, recycled food waste, etc. Bio-plastic can be made from agricultural by-
products and also from used plastic bottles and other containers using microorganisms.
Common plastics, such as fossil-fuel plastics (also called petroleum based polymers) are
derived from petroleum or natural gas. Not all bioplastics are biodegradable nor biodegrade
more readily than commodity fossil-fuel derived plastics. Bio-plastics are usually derived
from sugar derivatives, including starch, cellulose, and lactic acid. As of 2014, bio-plastics
represented approximately 0.2% of the global polymer market (300 million tons)

However, bio-plastic development begins from a very low base and, as yet, does not compare
significantly with petrochemical production. Estimates of the global production capacity for
bio-derived materials is put at 327,000 tonnes/year. In contrast, global production of
polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), the world’s leading petrochemical derived
polyolefins, was estimated at over 150 million tonnes in 2015.

Year Bioplastic Discovered or Development Developer

1862 Parkesine Alexander Parkes

1868 Celluloid John Wesley Hyatt

 1897 Galalith German chemists

1907 Bakelite Leo Baekeland

1912 Cellophane Jacques E. Brandenberger

1920s Polylactic Acid (PLA) Wallace Carothers

1926 Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) Maurice Lemoigne

1930 Soybean - based bioplastic car Henry Ford

1983 Biopal made from Marlborough -

Biopolymers

1989 PLA from corn Dr. Patrick R. Gruber ; Matter-bi-

Novamount

1992 PHB can be produced by Arabidopsis -

thaliana (a small flowering plant)

1998 Bioflex film (blown, flat, injection -

molding) leads to many different
applications of bioplastic

2001 PHB can be produced by elephant grass -

2007 Mirel (100% biodegradable plastic) by -

Metabolic inc. is market tested

2012 Bioplastic is developed from seaweed -

2013 Bioplastic made from blood and a cross -

- linking agent which is used in medical
procedures

2014 Bioplastic made from vegetable waste -

2016 Car bumper made from banana peel -

bioplastic

2017 Bioplastics made from lignocellulosic -

resources (dry plant matter)

2018 Bioplastic furniture, bio-nylon,

packaging from fruit

1.4 Problem Statement

Does the starch extracted from the rich-plant such as potato can be used to make green
plastics?
1.5 Objective
The main purpose of the project is to make a bio-plastic from potato. There are several
objective of this project:
1. To determine the percentage of starch in the potato
2. To determine the tensile strength of the potato
3. To determine the relationship between the starch-glycerol ratio and the tensile
strength of the plastics.

2.0 Methodology
2.1 Materials
1. Potato (Solanum Tuberosum)
 2. Vinegar
3. Glycerol 
4. Water
5. Iodine Solution (Starch test)
6. Universal Indicator (pH-level test)
7. Baking paper

2.2 Apparatus
1. Knife
2. Blender
3. Strainer 
4. Measuring spoons
5. Beaker 500 cm3 
6. Bunsen Burner
7. Tripod stand 
8. Wire gauze 
9. Matches 
10. Spatula 
11. Micrometer Screw Gauge
12. Retort stand 
13. Clips 
14. Dropper 
15. Petri dish
16. Electronic balance
17. Filter funnel
18. Test tube holder

2.3 Procedure
Part 1 : Starch extraction from potato
a) The potato is peeled and cut into small cubes.
b) The mass of the potato is measured and recorded.
c) The potato cubes are blended with a blender. Water is added.
 d) The blended potato is put on to a strainer on a bowl. The potato water goes through
the strainer and collected in the bowl. Spatula is used to press the blended potato on
the strainer so that all the potato water is collected in the bowl.
e) The potato water is left aside for 30 minutes.
f) White sediments can be observed in the bottom of the bowl.
g) The white sentiments is collected and placed in a beaker.
h) The mass of the white sentiments is measured and recorded.

Part 2 : The making of the plastics

a) 3 tablespoon of water is added into the beaker .
b) 3 teaspoon of potato starch added into a beaker. 
c) 1 teaspoon of glycerol and vinegar are added into the beaker. 
d) The mixture is stirred until all the starch are dissolved.
e) The mixture is then heated by using the Bunsen burner .
f) The mixture is heated for 3mins until the solution starts to thickened.
g) The heated mixture is then removed from the beaker and put on a baking paper.
h) The mixture is flattened and let dry for few days.

Part 3 : Tensile strength test of the plastics

a) The plastic are cut into rectangular shape.
b) The thickness and width of the plastic are measured by using micrometer screw gauge
and meter rule respectively and the data are recorded.
c) One end plastic is the fixed on the retort stand by using a test tube holder and a plastic
bag in fixed on the other end of the plastics.
d) Sand is added slowly until the plastic is broken apart.
e) The mass of the sand is measured by using an electronic balance and the results are
recorded.

Test :

I. Iodine test (Starch test)

a) The white sediments in the bottom of the bowl is collected and placed in a
petri dish.
b) The white sediments is let dry .
 c) Iodine solution is used on the white sediment .
d) Observation is recorded.

II. pH test
a) The plastic is placed in a petri dish.
b) Few drops of universal indicator is added into the plastics. 
c) Observation is recorded.

Type of bio-plastics：
Type of plastics Starch : Glyrecol ratio Type of starch
A 3:1 Potato starch extracted from
B 2.5 : 1 fresh potato
C 3.5 : 1
D 3:1 Tapioca Starch

2.4 Data Collection

Part 1 : Extraction of starch from potato
Mass of potato used, m (±0.1g)
Mass of starch extracted , m” (±0.1g)

Part 3 : Tensile strength test of the plastics

Type of Thickness of the plastics , T((±0.01mm)
plastics 1 2 3 Average
A
B
C
D

Type of Width of the plastics , W((±0.01mm)

plastics 1 2 3 Average
A
B
C
D

Type of Cross sectional area of the plastics , A (m2)

plastics (W x T =A)
A
B
C
D

Type of plastics Mass used to break the plastics ( kg)

A
B
 C
D

Type of plastics Starch : Glyrecol ratio Tensile Strength (MPa)

A 3:1
B 2.5 : 1
C 3.5 : 1
D 3:1

3.0 Interpretation of Data

3.1 Observations And Results
A layer of white sediments is observed in the bottom of the bowl.
Heated mixture of starch, glycerol and vinegar is thickened after 3 minutes of heating.

The heated mixture is placed on a baking paper and let dry.

Plastics formed after few days of drying.

Iodine test : the blue-black color results shows that the starch is present
 pH test : the colour of the solution change from green to yellow-orange shows acid

Tabulate of data:
Part 1 : Extraction of starch from potato
Mass of potato used , m(±0.1g) 497.0 g
Mass of starch extracted, m” (±0.1g) 82.0 g

Part 3 : Tensile strength test of the plastics

Type of Thickness of the plastics , T((±0.01mm)
plastics 1 2 3 Average
A 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12
B 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05
C 0.13 0.13 0.13 0.13
D 0,12 0.12 0.12 0.12

Type of Width of the plastics , W((±0.1cm)

plastics 1 2 3 Average
A 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8
B 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9
C 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8
D 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8

Type of Cross sectional area of the plastics , A (m2)

plastics (W x T =A)
A 2.16 x 10-6
B 9.50 x 10-7
C 2.34 x 10-6
D 2.16 x 10-6

Type of plastics Mass used to break the plastics ( kg)

A 0.378
 B 0.075
C 0.601
D 0.393

Type of plastics Starch : Glycerol ratio Tensile Strength (MPa)

A 3:1 1.72
B 2.5 : 1 0.77
C 3.5 : 1 2.52
D 3:1 1.78

Tensile Strength (MPa)

3

2.52
2.5

2
1.72 1.78

1.5

1
0.77

0.5

0
A (3:1) B (2.5:1) C (3.5:1) D (3:1 powder)

Calculation on the percentange of starch

 m
Percentage of starch= m ¿
82
= 497 x 100%
=16.5 %

m = Mass of starch extracted from potato

m” = Mass of peeled potato
Calculation on the tensile strength
Mg
α= A

α =The tensile strength of the plastics (MPa)

M=The mass required to break the plastics
g= gravitational acceleration =9.81 ms-2
A = Area of the cross-section of the bioplastic (length x thickness) 

( 9.81 ) (0.378)
Plastics Type A =
2.16 x 10−6
= 1.72 x 106

( 9.81 ) (0.075)
Plastics Type B =
9.50 x 10−7
= 0.77 x 106

( 9.81 ) (0.601)
Plastics Type C =
2.34 x 10−6
= 2.52 x 106

( 9.81 ) (0.393)
Plastics Type D =
2.16 x 10−6
= 1.78 x 10-6

3.2 Interpretation and Discussion

In the experiment, water plays an important role in the production of bioplastic. It acts as a
solvent to dissolve and denature the starch. Water also helps the starch molecules to stay
disrupted after heating. Vinegar is used due to the reaction between the hydrogen ions inside
the vinegar and the starch polymers can enable them to be disorder more easily in the
solution. The disorder is caused by the disruption of water and ionization due to the acetic
acid, which results in a more homogenous cast film. The glycerol is added to increase the
flexibility of the plastic and make it less brittle. The flexibility of the plastic is also known as
the tensile strength of the plastic.

After the bioplastic is formed, the bioplastic will undergo the tensile strength test. The
tensile strength of the bioplastic can be determined by clipping one end of the bioplastic and
the other end is tied with a bag that can fill up with sand to increase the weight slowly. After
the bioplastic exceeded its elastic limit and break, the weight of the sand is determined.
Repeat the experiment at least 3 times and the average value of the readings is calculated to
obtain a more accurate result.

The ph level of the bioplastic is determined by adding a few drops of universal indicator on
the surface of the bioplastic. Due to the hydrogen ions present inside the vinegar, the
universal indicator will slowly change the colour from green to yellow colour.

Conclusion
 The percentage of starch in the potato used in this investigation is 16.5%
The tensile strength of the potato starch plastics for Type A ，Type B ，Type C and
Type D are 1.72 MPa , 0.77MPa , 2.52MPa and 1.78 MPa respectively.
The relationship between the starch-glycerol ratio and the tensile strength of the
plastics is the higher the starch: glycerol ration , the higher the tensile strength.

References And Bibliography

 1. Wikipedia contributors. (2019, August 27). Potato. In Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07:38, September 2, 2019,
from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Potato&oldid=912657706
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CHemistry 3rd Semester. 2nd ed. Shah Alam: Oxford Fajar, pp.137-139.
3. Akbar Hanif Dawam Abdullah, Sri Pudjiraharti, Myrtha Karina, Oceu Dwi
Putri and Rani Hasna Fauziyyah, 2019. Fabrication and Characterization of
Sweet Potato Starch-based Bioplastics Plasticized with Glycerol.  Journal of
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doi=jbs.2019.57.64
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https://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Potato-Plastic!/
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Apendix
Part 1 : Extraction of starch

Figure 1 : The potato is cut into small cubes. The water is slowly added into the blender while
the potato cubes are being blended.

Figure 2 : The well blended potato cubes are placed inside a big bowl and let sit for 30
minutes. The weight of starch obtained was determined.
Part 2 : The Making of plastics

Figure 3 : The starch obtained from the potato cubes is collected. Water, glycerol and vinegar
are added.

Figure 4 : The mixture is being heated until thickened.

Part 3 : Tensile strength test of the plastics

Figure 5 : Tensile strength test of the plastic.

Iodine test

Figure 6 : Result of the iodine test for starch is obtained.

pH test

Figure 7: Result of the pH test for starch is obtained.