Plastic Production from Different Root Crops

A Research/Capstone Proposal

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

STEM 9: Research/Capstone Project

Presented to

Leo Art Diosep E. Borres

Research Adviser

Submitted by:
Camila Araque
Janine Arslan
Harrieth DM Blanco
Joyce Lynn Mae Diama
Mia Erikka Diama
Joe Anne Grace Diocera
Jazel Distor
Veann Distor

March 2019
 INTRODUCTION
Plastic is a necessary product used and encountered by consumer every day in the form of
institutional products, furniture, packaging and some apparel. It is also a leading material in
production of industries.
In the most recent days, plastic found to be the best product because of its long time
properties, thus, its increased utilization is increasing every day. However, plastics are durable
and cannot be degraded by natural process in a short period of time creating considerable
disposal problems that has led to serious ecological problems. Some of our national researchers
found that some plastic are made from plants or could bioplastics. These plastics are most often
made from sugar cane or corn starch and also from other root crops (Mc Guire, 2018).
Plastics made from renewable plant based material such as starch can benefit our
environment because it breaks down more easily once it is discarded and it is not releasing
harmful chemicals into the ecosystem (Shroff, 2016).
Root crops are plants yielding with starchy roots it could be a good alternative
components due to its higher starch content. Alupisan (Diocoreae sculenta), Badiang (Alocasia
macrorrhiza), and Gabi (Colocasia esculenta) is commonly recognize as various root crops
containing a highly percentage of starch.
Using these various crops could lessen some of pollution and other environmental traits
connected by the traditional plastic made of polyethylene. Alupisan (Dioscorea esculenta) is a
slender, slightly hairy, spiny vine, reaching a height of several meters. Spikes are slender,
axiliary pubescent, up to 50 centimetres long. Alupisan contains 83% starch and 12% protein.
Peeling and waste from yams are often used for feeding poultry and livestock and it can also be
used for production of starch or of alcohol (Godofredo U. Stuart Jr., M. D., 2015).
Badiang (Alocasia macrorrhiza) is a succulent herbaceous plant, reaching 4.5m in height
with a thick cylindrical stem arising from a basal corm (Paul et al,. 2015). It was first
domesticated in the Philippines (Deane, 2007). They can reach 3.6 ft. in length (90-18 cm) and
2.4 ft. in width (60-120 cm). It performs best in part shade in organically rich, moist to wet soils
(Gardenia, 2019). Starch in Badiang stem ranges between 16% - 21% (Meldin, 2009). The
digestibility of Badiang starch has been estimated to be 98.8% (Moore et al,. 2003).
 Gabi (Colocasia esculenta) is a long-stalked herbaceous plant with huge leaves growing
to a height of 30 to 150 cm. (To Yu, 2015). It has been cultivated for many centuries originating
in Asia, and primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions (Ibrahim et al., 2010).
Therefore, this study will be conducted to determine the suitability of Alupisan
(Diocoreae sculenta), Badiang (Alocasia macrorrhiza), and Gabi (Colocasia esculenta) as an
alternative starch in plastic production.

Objectives of the Study

Generally, this aims to determine if Alupisan (Diocoreae sculenta), Badiang (Alocasia
macrorrhiza), and Gabi (Colocasia esculenta) can be an alternative starch in plastic production.
Specifically, this study aims to seek answer to the following:
1. Determine the suitability of Alupisan (Diocoreae sculenta), Badiang (Alocasia
macrorrhiza), and Gabi (Colocasia esculenta) as an alternative starch in plastic
production in terms of durability, flammability, water absorption, solubility in acidic
solution, solution in organic solvent, and solubility in basic solution.
2. Determine if there is a significant difference in using Alupisan (Diocoreae sculenta),
Badiang (Alocasia macrorrhiza), and Gabi (Colocasia esculenta) as an alternative starch
in plastic production in terms of durability, flammability, water absorption, solubility in
acidic solution, solution in organic solvent, and solubility in basic solution.

Hypothesis
Base on the aforementioned objectives, the following hypothesis is formulated:
1. There is no significant difference in using Alupisan (Diocoreae sculenta), Badiang
(Alocasia macrorrhiza), and Gabi (Colocasia esculenta) as an alternative starch in plastic
production in terms of durability, flammability, water absorption, solubility in acidic
solution, solution in organic solvent, and solubility in basic solution.

Significance of the Study

The study entitled Plastic Production from Different Root Crops can benefit community
folks, school, environmentalists, students, and future researchers. The result of the study will be
the basis of new information for Alupisan (Diocorea esculenta), Badiang (Alocasia macrorrhiza),
and Gabi (Colocasia esculenta) as components in plastic production and promote awareness of
utilizing starch-based plastic which can help in eradicating the use of plastics that degrades for a
longer period of time. This will also serve as learning paradigm to students conducting similar
researches. Through its process and program, they will be able to provide basic information on
its usage, procedure, and application.

Delimitation of the Study

This experimental research will be conducted to determine if Alupisan (Diocoreae
sculenta), Badiang (Alocasia macrorrhiza), and Gabi (Colocasia esculenta) can be used as an
alternative starch in plastic production. The study is only limited on comparing the tensile
strength, flammability, water absorption, solubility in acidic solution, solution in organic solvent,
and solubility in basic solution.
This study will be conducted at the Chemistry Laboratory of Filamer Christian University
during the period of January – March 2019 under the supervision of Mr. Leo Art Diosep E.
Borres, Research Adviser.

Review of Related Literature

Alupisan (Dioscorea esculenta)
The use of plastic as short-lived packaging applications (e.g. plastic bag, packaging,
water bottle, hygiene) cannot be separated from human life. Most of currently existed plastics are
made based on petrochemical material products which generates a huge amount of garbage and
no biodegradables. Gembili was introduced as new alternative of starch based plastic raw
materials.
Gembili locally known as “Alupisan” is a species of yam widely grown in tropical areas
commonly known as lesser yam or Asiatic yam. Its starch has been studied as an alternative
source for food industry but not been used in biodegradable plastics industry and no studies of its
plastics application. According to Indonesian Agriculture Ministry report, in 2013, the starch
content is about 39.36-52.25% with 23.2% amylose and 76.8% amylopectin.

Badiang (Alocasia macrorrhiza)

Giant taro locally known as “Badiang” is a member of family Araceae. It is major starch-
producing aroids. Starch, as the major component of corms and cormels of these species, can
amount over 80% of the dry weight (Zhou, 2016).
According to a study by Kumoro et al., (2014) Giant taros plant produces edible corm
which is very rich in carbohydrates, ranging between 73 to 80% which is mainly starch at 77.9%
and 1.4% crude fiber basis. The starch with approximately 21% amylose and 79% percent
amylopectin. The starch obtained from plant is used in manufacturing majority of bio-based
plastic.

Gabi (Colocasia esculenta)

The Taro (Colocasia esculenta), or natively known as Gabi in Philippines, is a popular
plant found in the Philippines but its origin is in South Central Asia. The starch is easily
digestible, and since the grains are fine and small it is often used for baby food (Farukh et al.,
2013).
According to the study by Villanueva et al., (2008), the use of taro flour or starch
commercially in the Philippines has not been reported outside the laboratory. The discovery of
the special use of taro starch in the manufacture of biodegradable plastics has opened another
venue for industrial use of taro. This is perhaps the best prospect of taro to become an export
crop of this country.

Bioplastic
A bioplastic is a plastic that is made partly or wholly from polymers derived from
biological sources such as sugar cane, potato starch or the cellulose from trees, straw and cotton.
Bioplastic are made by converting sugar present in plants into plastic. Bioplastics can generally
be directly substituted for their oil-based equivalent. Indeed, they can generally be made to be
chemically identical to the standard industrial plastics (Goodall 2011).
Bioplastics which are designed to biodegrade can break down in either anaerobic or
aerobic environments, depending on how they are manufactured. There is a variety of bioplastics
being made; they can be composed of starches, cellulose, or other biopolymers. Some common
application of bioplastic are packaging materials, dining utensils, food packaging, and insulation
(Chen and Patel, 2012).

Bioplastic production
The biodegradable plastics market is in a state of constant evolution. For the past several
years, it has witnessed major developments in production capabilities of bio-based and non-
biodegradable polymers. With a production capability of 2 million tons in 2017, bioplastics
represent approximately 0.75% of the global polymers market. Almost a half of this quantity
concerns the production of biodegradable polymers, regardless of their origin (Lefevre, 2017).
 In review, the researcher found three potential root crops samples namely; Giant Taro
(Alocasia macrorrhiza), Gembili (Dioscorea esculenta), and Taro (Colocasiae sculenta) that can
be good sources of bioplastic. Giant taros plant produces edible corm which is very rich in
carbohydrates, ranging between 73 to 80% which is mainly starch at 77.9%. In preliminary
study, the starch content of Gembili is about 39.36-52.25% with 23.2% amylose and 76.8%
amylopectin. Last, the discovery of the special use of taro starch in the manufacture of
biodegradable plastics.

Methodology
Materials and tools
This study will utilize starch extracted from Alupisan (Diocorea esculenta), Badiang
(Alocasia macrorrhiza), and Gabi (Colocasia esculenta), Glycerol, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Acetic
Acid, Methanol, Hydrochloric Acid, and Sodium Hydroxide. The tools to be used in this study
are graduated cylinder, grammer, stop watch, watch glass, caliper, butane stove, laddle, cauldron,
rubber spatula, beakers, cheese cloth, stainless steel mold, blender, Microwave oven, digital
spring balance, alcohol lamp, tongs, and basin.

Research Design
The Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was used in this study. CRD is the simplest
design for comparative experiments, as it uses only two basic principles of experimental designs:
randomization and replication. In CRDs, the treatments are allocated to the experimental units or
plots in a completely random manner (Salkind, 2010).
Experimental Layout

Procedural Design
Procedure
Starch Extraction
The primary step of conducting this study will be the collection of the root crops which
are Alupisan (Dioscorea esculenta), Badiang (Alocasia macrorrhiza), and Gabi (Colocasia
esculenta) as well as the chemicals, equipment, and other materials needed. The researchers will
use the water extraction medium for extracting the starch from tubers. In this procedure of
isolation, the tubers of different root crops are washed, peeled and diced to increase the surface
area exposed to the following blending and slurring purposes. The diced tubers are then blended
and scurried directly in a solution of water. The milk starch is then refined and dried to obtain the
required starch (Keshav, 2016).

Preparation of Plastic
The starch obtained will be mixed with Polyvinyl Alcohol, Glycerol, and Acetic Acid and
placed in a stainless steel mold. Meanwhile, the oven will be pre-heated for 15 minutes the
shortly after, the mold will be placed and baked with a temperature of 115-125 degree Celsius
for an hour. Then, after baking the samples will be exposed in sun drying for 1-2 days. After it
was totally dried, the samples will be scraped off from the molder.

Data to be gathered
Tensile Strength Analysis. Tensile Strength of a material is the tension stress at which a
material breaks or permanently deforms. It is used to verify the maximum capacity of an object
related to stress and strain. This uses a spring balance to test the material's strength. (Jamal,
2017)
Tensile Strength = Newton/Area

Flammability Test. Flammability test is used to determine degree of how easily a product
will burn or ignite. The flammability specification known as UL-94 will be used in this study.
The UL-94 contains different flame tests wherein it has two categories: the horizontal and
vertical. UL–94 specification involves the use of a standard specimen size, a controlled heat
source and a conditioning period for the specimen prior to the test. (Intertek Turkey, 2011).

Water Absorption Assessment. Water absorption is used to determine the amount of water
absorbed under specified conditions (Intertek Plastics Technology Laboratories, 2010).
Percent Water Absorption = [(Wet weight - Dry weight)/ Dry weight] x 100
Water Absorption Assessment will verify the increase in weight after immersion in water for a
specified time interval.

Test on Solubility in Acidic & Alkaline Solution Solubility in Acidic Solution is employed
to test the ability of the material's solubility to dissolve within acids. It is done by soaking
samples in acidic and alkaline solutions (Crawford, 2015).
Test in Solubility in Organic Solvent. Solubility in Organic Solution assessment tests the
material's solubility in organic solvents like methanol. It is done by soaking the samples in a
solvent for certain time intervals (Daria, 2013).

The data to be gathered will be recorded, and analyzed. The mean is the statistical tool to
be used to determine the differences among the treatments in terms of tensile strength, solubility
in acidic solution, solubility in organic solvent, water absorption, flammability. One-Way
ANOVA set at 0.05 alpha level of significance will be used to determine whether there are any
significant differences among the properties to be measured.
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