Bioplastic using Eucheuma alvarezii (Eucheuma seaweed) as an alternative for

conventional plastic

In Partial Fulfillment for the

Requirement in Practical Research 1

A.Y. 2022-2023

Mendoza, Mc.ronwale Y.

Montilla, Justine Jay O.

Saludo, Marvin Jolo T.

Laja, Princess Airee D.

Obayan, Ma.Antonia I.

Grade 12 - STEM Engineering C

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 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Utilization of a wide variety of things as bioplastics has been around for quite some time,

but only some crevices of this topic are explored. Seaweed is notorious for its comprehensive list

of benefits, not just to one's body but also to the environment. Due to the situation of society

nowadays, innovations and advancements regarding the reduction of plastic waste and fossil fuel

consumption. They conducted this research because they wanted to make an item that would

benefit the students of Fidelis Senior High School regarding sustainability.

Padilla used gum arabic (GA) in making the fabrics of the bioplastics, which he utilized

for a much greener option for food packaging. Gum arabic is a natural tree gum with an

electrospinning method to process it. That this specific ingredient has the potential not only in food

packaging but also in the field of medicine. (Padil et al., 2019) In the case of Oluwasina, a mixture

of lemon peels and starch is used to make their version of bioplastic. Oluwasina's study used the

addition of leftover orange peel ethanol extract to generate good active packaging films.

(Oluwasina and Awonyemi, 2021)

The adverse effects of using plastics have been a severe problem circulating the

entire world, and schools are no exception. Many parts of the school use a large amount of plastic,

especially canteens, ranging from plastic spoons and forks to straws to straight-up plastic

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containers. The surge of plastic waste these past few years motivated the proponents to conduct

this research.

The gap in this study is how the researchers can prolong the usability of the

proposed bioplastic. In several attempts to create a prototype, the researchers can provide a good

foundation for making the base and how the prototype can function adequately without errors.

The goal is to create a sustainable innovation that will benefit the students of Fidelis

Senior High School. This is to lessen the usage of traditional plastic that can harm the environment.

Statement of the Problem

This research's main objective is to determine the usage and the procedure for

making seaweed bioplastic as an alternative to conventional plastic.

1. Many factors that need to be taken into account when creating bioplastics. With that, to what

extent can this seaweed bioplastic be feasible in terms of:

1.1. How many seaweeds can be used to make bioplastic?

1.2. What is the longevity of a bioplastic made from seaweed?

1.3. Can bioplastics be incorporated into current recycling and recovery programs?

2. This study needs a lot of precision to produce a prototype that has the best quality. By

accuracy, it means what percentage of ingredients is necessary to get the best results in terms of:

2.1. Where will the researchers buy good quality seaweeds to produce bioplastics?

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 2.2. How can starch help in the production of seaweed bioplastics?

3. Are the suggested seaweed bioplastic and conventional commercial plastics significantly

related?

Significance of the Study

To the Grade 12 Students of Fidelis Senior High School. This study can aid the students in

schools and universities not only for their future research but also to utilize the product to have a

cleaner environment. This study will benefit the Senior high school students of Fidelis Senior High

School. It will be an excellent substitute for traditional plastic and can be more environmentally

friendly.

To the Citizens of Tanauan City. The product of this study can help the citizens of Tanauan City

and other municipalities around its vicinity sustain a greener environment by using seaweed

bioplastic instead of traditional plastic.

The institution. This research can be a blueprint for future institutions of the current batch of

STEM students in Fidelis Senior High School manufacturing greener product packaging.

Future Researchers. Future researchers of Fidelis Senior High School that work on the same

subject as bioplastics might use this study as a reference.

Scope and Delimitation

It is used to lessen the issue of plastic that is polluting the ecosystem and strangling the

entire planet. The third most widely utilized petroleum derivative worldwide is plastics. The use

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of bioplastics, which includes extracting natural polymers from agricultural sources, is being

proposed as an alternative.

Most of the remaining plastic either causes environmental harm or is left in dumps, where

it can take up to five centuries to disintegrate while releasing hazardous chemicals into the soil.

Plastic waste is extremely abundant nowadays as it is used almost everywhere. With the production

of plastic, climate change is affected significantly because it consumes fossil fuels such as

gasoline. The marine creature has been utilized for thousands of years for various purposes, such

as food, medicine, cosmetics, and fertilizers. Due to recent scientific developments, people are

now more interested in seaweed and its possibilities. It is impossible to exaggerate how vital

seaweed is to the ecosystem and how important it is to the fight against climate change.

Alternatives to seaweed plastics have just been added to the list of crucial sustainability use cases.

The utilization of eucheuma seaweed circumscribes itself to the obtainability of the specific

seaweed needed for producing this said bioplastic. This study will only benefit those who use

traditional plastic as their everyday bag or container; thus, people who use paper bags, eco bags,

and the like will continue to use the mentioned products. Labor cost also needs to be considered

since, for the seaweed bioplastic to be viable, they should exert lots of effort and days of trial and

error.

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Conceptual Framework

In conceptual framework, it includes the input, process and output which is using a type of

seaweed. For the input, having a starch and water after that going to a process to do boiling, mixing,

extracting and drying it. At last the final output must be the Eucheuma Alvarezzi Seaweed

Bioplastic.

Input Process
Output

Eucheuma Alvarezii Boiling

(Eucheuma Seaweed) Eucheuma Alvarezii
Mixing
Starch Seaweed Bioplastic
Extracting
Water
Drying
Liquid glycerin
Definition Honey
of Terms

Agar - A gelatinous colloidal extract of a red alga (as of the genera Gelidium, Gracilaria, and

Eucheuma) used especially in culture media or as a gelling and stabilizing agent in foods.

Alginate - A salt or ester of alginic acid.

Bioplastic - Biodegradable plastic that is made or derived from biological materials.

Electrospinning - A process in which ultrathin, multifilament fibers with diameters in the

nanometer range are created by spinning and manipulating streams of electrically charged

polymers in a strong magnetic or electric field, used to make specialized fabrics, such as those in

spacesuits.

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Eucheuma - A genus of red algae (family Solieriaceae) having terete or flattened thalli often with

abundant spiny branchlets.

Gum Arabic - A water-soluble gum obtained from several acacias (especially Acacia senegal)

and used especially in the manufacture of inks, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, and confections.

Hydrocolloid - A substance that yields a gel with water.

Seaweed - A mass or growth of marine plants and a plant growing in the sea.

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 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

According to Mouritsen (2020), importantly, in the current context, humankind and

society have turned to seaweeds in times of need to benefit from what this rich and ancient

polyphyletic assemblage of marine, photosynthetic organisms can provide to meet basic nutritional

needs, ease disease-related suffering, and ensure health, well-being, and survival at pivotal points

in human history.

According to the study by Lim (2021), utilizing seaweeds, or the like, in the field of

producing bioplastics is relatively new and alien to society. Thus, the film of the seaweeds and the

derivatives, such as the alginate (salt of the alginic acid), agar, and carrageenan, can be the primary

ingredient in making a chemical-free plastic. Lim's study claims that using this kind of production

in making plastics is highly beneficial to consumers and a very green option for the environment.

This research aims to assess the capability of seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii) as a bioplastic

material on varied glycerine concentrations in terms of strength under tension and

biodegradability. This study covers the creation of seaweed bioplastic, its uses, and contributions

to the community, and how the ecology benefits from it, including lowering the use of synthetic

plastic. (Consebit et al., 2021)

The article of Sadashiva Murthy BM (2021) examines the effects of varying ratios of

seaweed, starch, and cellulose, as well as plasticizers, in biodegradable seaweed-based bioplastic

on the physical characteristics and traits of the biofilm. It is also being investigated how biofilms

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are formed. There is discussion over replacing single-use plastic in food packaging and other

applications. Bioplastic made from seaweed is environmentally benign because it decomposes

fully in the soil. Seaweed-based bioplastic would be a better option to control plastic pollution in

addition to having excellent mechanical characteristics and a shorter shelf life.

The study claims bioplastics' uniqueness is that it does not disintegrate into microplastic

that could harm the environment. It dissolves in water without releasing toxic chemicals. (Barrett,

2021)

According to Watson, S. K. (2022), plastic film can harm the environment. The super thin

material that makes up baggies and shrink wrap has proven to be one of the trickier plastics to

recycle and often decays in landfills or the ocean. Globally, the consumption of hundreds of

billions of plastic bags.

Alginate, also known as seaweed hydrocolloid and obtained from brown seaweeds, was

utilized as the starting material to make bioplastic for this experiment to assess the potential for

producing bioplastic and biofilm from seaweeds. Alginate concentration immediately interferes

with the color difference, tending to turn somewhat yellow when alginate is applied, according to

a colorimetric examination of the plastic or the film. (Junior, 2022)

Bioplastics also have great potential applications in the textile industry. However, there are

some challenges to the growth of the bioplastic market. These include interference with food

sources and high production costs. They can address the interference issue with food sources by

using non-food resources. Also, different biological alternatives, such as bioplastic production

from microalgae consortia have been reported. (Giri, 2022)

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 The most significant environmental issue was brought on by plastic. Utilizing

biodegradable plastic, which breaks down more quickly in nature, is one technique to manage

plastic trash. The hot press technique can be used to convert carrageenan into biodegradable

plastic. Using this technique, they can produce large-scale biodegradable plastic. However, the

holding period, temperature, and pressure chosen throughout the hot pressing process affected the

plastic's quality. The goal is to determine how holding time and temperature during the hot press

process affect the tensile strength of biodegradable plastic made with carrageenan. The tensile

strength of biodegradable plastics increased with the addition of holding time. With a value of 4.45

MPa, they attained the highest tensile strength after 30 minutes of holding. The biodegradable

composite's tensile strength declined after 30 minutes. The tensile strength of biodegradable

plastics also decreased due to the process temperature addition. The highest tensile strength, 5.28

MPa, was attained at a process temperature of 100 C. (Fitrian Imaduddin et al., 2020)

Justification of the Study

The field of bioplastics is one of the most recent fields that has become popular for

researchers to dig even deeper into. Thus, they can access few studies since the topic is relatively

new. With this, different takes on how the researchers did in producing bioplastics are already

made, and to name some, there are potato starch, corn, sugar beet, and even food leftovers. The

proponents decided to go for the ingredient they can find in aquatic wildlife: seaweed, eucheuma

alvarezii seaweed, to be exact. Since seaweed is abundant and there are few to no studies about

seaweeds and eucheuma alvarezii seaweed, the proponents decided to make bioplastics that are

viable and eco-friendly with that kind of seaweed.

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 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Methods of Research

The method of research that is used here is the experimental method. This method of

analysis is used to conduct a study with a scientific approach. This also establishes the relationship

between a particular study's cause and effect. With this method of research, accurate transparency

and clarity for the researchers' objectives are obtained. (Sirisill, 2022). Since the main aim of this

study is to experiment on how eucheuma alvarezii seaweed turned into bioplastics can be an

effective alternative to traditional plastics, the most viable research method is the experimental

method. They will examine the techniques used in this study, and it will be possible to visualize

how using seaweeds resulted in the development of bioplastics.

Method of Collecting Data and Development of the Research Instrument

● Procedures

I. Canvassing of the materials and main components

Upon the extensive research of the members, it has come to their attention that the most

abundant species of seaweed in the Philippines, specifically Batangas, is the eucheuma alvarezii

variant. Thus, the researchers spend days finding the correct type of species. Not only that, but the

researchers also look for the other main components in accomplishing their specific goal, which is

the production of bioplastics made from that particular type of seaweed.

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II. Preparation of the materials and main components

- Eucheuma Alvarezii seaweeds

- Starch

- Water

- Liquid glycerin

- Honey

III. Process in creating the seaweed bioplastic

a. Boiling of the ingredients

b. Mixing it until fully incorporated

c. Extracting it and sifting the residue

d. Letting the product dry until the bioplastic is formed

IV. Evaluation of the bioplastic product

This is the part where the researchers assess the product that is made, base on its elasticity,

longevity, and quality as a whole.

Sampling Design

Since this study is conducted to learn more about the viability of using seaweeds as a central

component of bioplastic, the researchers will use stratified sampling. With accuracy and

transparency being the other goals of the researchers, using stratified sampling will ensure that the

researchers will be able to reach those goals. Stratified sampling is when a specific population is

divided into different groups or subpopulations so that every sub-population is represented equally.

This is also to conduct more precise results and conclusions.

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Statistical Treatment of Data

Since the study is about the feasibility of using eucheuma alvarezii seaweed as the

traditional bioplastic, it mainly focuses on how the seaweed can be a viable ingredient in

composing an environmentally friendly plastic. With this, the statistical treatment that the

proponents think would perfectly suit the study is linear regression. Linear regression is often

utilized to create a hypothesis that matches all the study's points.

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 References

 Barrett, A., & Barrett, V. A. P. B. A. (2021, February 1). Philippines Makes Bioplastic

From Mango and Seaweed. Bioplastics News.

https://bioplasticsnews.com/2019/07/29/philippines-makes-bioplastic-from-mango-and-

seaweed/

 Giri, N. C. (2022). Development of Bioplastic and Biodegradable Plastics. https://www.igi-

global.com/chapter/development-of-bioplastic-and-biodegradable-plastics/30555

 Imaduddin, F. (2022, October 3). Effect of Holding Time and Temperature of Hot Pressing

on Tensile Strength of Biodegradable Plastic Made of Carrageenan | Imaduddin |

Mekanika: Majalah Ilmiah Mekanika.

https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/mekanika/article/view/64292

 Júnior, J. S. A. R. (2022, June 21). Biodegradable Plastic and Film Production from

Seaweeds. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/biotech/issue/70169/1033959

 Just a moment. . . (n.d.-b).

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213343721008721

 Karylle Lyra Consebit (et al., 2021) Bioplastic from Seaweeds (Eucheuma Cottonii) as an

Alternative Plastic https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/AJSE/article/download/37799/pdf

 Mouritsen, O. G. (2020, November 7). Saved by seaweeds: phyconomic contributions in

times of crises. SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10811-020-

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 Oluwasina, O., & Awonyemi, I. (2021, January 1). Citrus Peel Extract Starch-Based

Bioplastic: Effect of Extract Concentration on Packed Fish and Bioplastic Properties.

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 Springer Link. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10924-020-01990-7

 Padil, V. (2019, February 15). Bioplastic Fibers from Gum Arabic for Greener Food

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https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b05896

 P, V. (2022, April 18). Can Seaweed Replace Plastic? - Climate Conscious. Medium.

https://medium.com/climate-conscious/can-seaweed-replace-plastic-6be3e6c590e2

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