Department of Education

Region VII, Central Visayas

Division of City of Bogo
City of Bogo Senior High School
Cogon, Bogo City, Cebu

PEATORIBIA Bio-Pot: The Evaluation of Agro-Waste Bio-Pots

as Alternative to Single-use Plastic Planters for High-Yield Red

Onions

Researchers:

Jacy Erl J. Sangre

Jasmine Marie Y. Limalima
Maria Guadalupe Colorito
Xiamara Nicole Reyes
Joyce Nicole Alao
Charity Faith Pelit
Dianne Kate Cañete
Daryl Cabiara
Kent Joseph Itallo

Research Adviser:

Kent Jaspher Ytang

PEATORIBIA Bio-Pot: The Evaluation of Agro-Waste Bio-Pots

as Alternative to Single-use Plastic Planters for High-Yield Red

Onions

(1) OBJECTIVES

General Objective:

The general objective of the study is to create a bio-pot made of peanut shells, rice hulls,

tomato waste, and banana pseudo-stem (BPRTB) to improve the growth and yield of onions

and reduce the use of single-use plastic planters.

Furthermore, this study seeks:

1. To determine the quality of the BPRTB in terms of:

a. Tensile strength

b Biodegradability

c. Water Absorption

2. To determine the impact of the BPRTB in terms of:

a. Plant height (cm)

b. Plant fresh weight (g)

c. Number of Leaves

d. Plant Dry Weight (g)

3. To determine the significant difference between BPRTB and traditional single-use plastic

planters.
 (2) METHODOLOGY

I. Research Variable

The success of using biodegradable pots made from agricultural waste in growing and

increasing the yield of onions and as an alternative to single-use plastic planters will be

evaluated in this study. Biodegradable pots can serve a variety of purposes throughout the

crop life cycle, including propagation, growth, transportation, and marketing (Evan and

Hensley 2004). The growth of onions is a major concern in the Philippines, Filipinos

consume 17,000 metric tons of onions every month as it’s a staple in Philippine cooking. The

price has also soared due to a variety of factors, including importation, plant pests, climate

change, inflation, and shortages. (Hutchison 2023).

II. Scope and Limitations

The research experiment on the effectiveness of biodegradable pots will be conducted

in the month of July 2023 in the City of Bogo Senior Highschool (CBSHS). The waste

materials will be collected in various locations around Northern Cebu. The goal of this

research experiment is to compare and determine the significant difference in plant growth

between commercially available single-use plastic planters and plant-based biodegradable

pots. This research also focuses on improving the growth and yield of onion bulbs in Bogo

City.

There will be no advanced elements included in this research, for instance, the nutrient

level intake of the onion bulb when using the plant-based biodegradable pots. However, this

experiment will cover the basic parameters of growing an onion bulb, for example, the
height, the number of leaves, and the yield number. Furthermore, environmental factors, such

as weather and soil differences, may have an impact on the results.

III. Research Design

The design of this experiment will completely be experimental. The biodegradable pot

will be evaluated if it could potentially produce high-yield onion bulbs. Furthermore, this

research experiment will be used to replace single-use plastic planters to promote

sustainability and environmental-friendly farming and to improve the growth and yield of

onion bulbs.

IV. Research Procedure

Planting of
Onion Crop in
Production of both
Purchasing & Preparation of Biodegradable
Biodegradable
Collection of Materials Pot and Non-
Pot
Materials Biodegradable
Pot

Statistical Experimentation Transplanting

Analysis s of Onion Crop
in Soil

Fig. 6. Flow Chart of Experiments Methodology

a. Purchasing & Collection of Materials

The researchers intend to collect and purchase the desired materials and components

needed for this experiment. This research experiment will utilize peanut shells, rice hulls,

tomato waste, banana pseudo-stem, plant pot molds, and single-use plastic planters.
 Approximately 1 kg of peanut shells, rice hulls, and tomato waste respectively will be

purchased and collected at the Bogo Public Market. 1 stalk of banana pseudo-stem will be

collected from an already harvested banana tree in Barangay Pelaez, Bogo City. The

researchers will ask permission from the barangay officials in the area to collect the banana

pseudo-stem. Moreover, the plant pot molds will be purchased in an online shop with

dimensions of 9.3 cm vs 9 cm, and the single-use plastic planters will be purchased at the

Bogo Public Market.

b. Preparation of Materials

The purchased and collected peanut shells, rice hulls, and tomato waste will be sun-

dried for three days and then will be crushed into a powdered form ready to be molded.

As for the banana pseudo-stem, this material will act as a binder of the bio-pot. The

banana pseudo-stem will be cut into smaller pieces and placed in a cooking pot of boiling

water, add 25 ml of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to the boiling mixture and let it sit for about 2

hours. After boiling, strain the banana pseudo-stem and put it in a blender to soften the

banana pseudo-stem and you are left with a paste-like texture.

c. Production of Biodegradable Pot

After preparing and evaluating all the materials for the bio-pot, all the materials will be

blended all together. Peanut shells, rice hulls, and tomato waste will make up 100% of the

bio-pots composition. The banana pseudo-stem will be added to the mixture as a binder to the

bio-pot.
 After blending all the materials, it would be placed into a plant mold and will be sun-

dried for four days in total. For the first two days, the pot mold would be upright in the sun

and during the last two days, the mold will be taken out from the plant pot mold and will be

sun-dried for two days. After drying, the researchers will cut 4 holes below the pot for water

absorption

d. Planting of Onion Crops in both Biodegradable Pots and Non-Biodegradable Pots

The researchers will plant the onion crop in the biodegradable pot and the non-

biodegradable pot and then place it on a tray. When watering the plant, water will be added to

the tray and leave it there for a couple of hours to let the soil absorb the water. After a couple

of hours, drain the water from the tray. This process will be utilized in the span of 14 days

until the transplant of the onion crop.

e. Transplanting of Onion Crop in Soil

After 14 days, the researchers will then transplant the onion crop into the soil. The

onion crop planted in the biodegradable pots will not require the pot to be removed and can

be transplanted directly into the soil. The onion crop planted in the non-biodegradable pot

will require the pot to be separated from the onion crop in order for it to be transplanted into

the soil.

The planted onion crops will be planted 15 cm across from each other. The researchers

will analyze and compare the results from both onion crops to determine if there is a

significant difference between biodegradable pots and single-use plastic planters.

f. Testing of Parameters

1. Tensile Strength Test

 This research experiment will make use of this method to determine the tensile strength

of the bio-pot. The bio-pot will be tested in a make-shift tensile strength test from Aventurado

et al. (2022). The researchers will make use of two binder clips and a sample sheet of the bio-

pot will be in between the clips, See Fig. 5. A calibration weight was tied on the other side of

the binder until the sample rips off.

Fig. 5. Make-shift tensile strength test of plant-based bio-pots (taken from Aventurado et al.
2022)

The information was recorded and translated from kilograms to newtons. The width and

sheet thickness were multiplied to determine the cross-sectional area. The tensile strength

formula was then used to calculate the tensile strength in MPa.

Where,

Tensile Strength: represents the maximum load a substance can withstand before it

breaks (MPa)

Maximum Force: represents the peak tension force the substance can withstand (N)
 Cross-sectional area: represents the area of a two-dimensional shape (mm2)

Determining a material's resistance to deformation caused by tension or stretching is an

essential pot for testing the mechanical properties of bio-pots. To calculate this, the maximum

force the bio-pot can withstand which was converted to Newtons will be divided by the cross-

sectional area of the bio-pot which can be determined by multiplying the width and thickness

of the sample from the bio-pot.

2. Biodegradability Test

This test will be used to evaluate the biodegradability of the bio-pot. The

biodegradability test was used in the studies by Liew and Khor (2015) and Rafee et al. (2019)

with a few minor modifications made by Aventurado et al. (2022). In particular, the

biodegradability study's time frame was shortened to thirty-five (35) days, and this

measurement was used to determine how quickly plant pots degraded above ground and

without soil.

The researchers will initially measure the sample bio-pot will be using a digital

weighing scale at day zero and then will be reassessed every 7 days for a total of 35 days. The

weight loss formula was used to compute the percentages of weight reduction for pots.

𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔h𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠 (%) = 𝐼𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔h𝑡 (𝑔) − 𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔h𝑡 (𝑔) X 100
𝐼𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔h𝑡 (𝑔)

Where,

Weight Loss: represents the weight loss rate (%)

 Initial Weight: represents the initial weight of the sample (g)

Final Weight: represents the initial weight of the sample (g)

When fibers or films biodegrade, some or all of the material dissolves, which causes the

material to lose weight overall (Fedorak 2005). To evaluate the rate of biodegradation of the

bio-pot, the weight loss formula will be used. The initial weight minus the final weight will

be divided by the initial weight and multiplied by 100 to get the weight loss percentage.

3. Water Absorption Test

This test will make use of a water absorption test done by Manaf-Dastjerdi et al. (2022).

The researchers will measure the sample bio-pots in the digital weighing scale before putting

it in the water, After measuring, the bio-pots will be placed in a bowl with 4 cm of water at

21 Celsius. To avoid the bio-pot from floating, 4 cm of water was placed inside the bio-pots.

The bio-pots will be measured every 15 minutes for 1 hour and water absorption will be

calculated using this formula:

Where,

Wa: represents the water absorption rate (%)

M0: is the initial pot weight (g)

Mh: indicates the pot weight after water absorption over time (min)

The red onions planted in the bio-pot will be watered every day and it will be

necessary to measure how well the bio-pots can retain moisture. Therefore, the water
absorption formula will be utilized. Mh, which represents the pot weight after water

absorption over time recorded minutes minus the initial pot of the weight divided by the

initial pot of the weight and then multiplied by 100 to determine the water absorption

percentage.

4. Evaluation of Plant Height

The researchers will measure the height of the plant in centimeters (cm). Furthermore,

the researchers intend to measure the height of the plant every 7 days in a span of 35 days.

5. Evaluation of Plant Fresh Weight

As soon as the crop is harvested, the researchers will weigh it using a digital scale to

determine its weight in grams (g).

6. Evaluation of the Number of Leaves

Over the course of 35 days, the researchers expect to monitor the plant's number of

leaves every 7 days.

7. Evaluation of Plant Dry Weight

The dry weight of the plant will be weighed after the water content of the onion crops

has been drained or dried. This evaluation will utilize a digital weighing scale.

g. Statistical Analysis

This section will evaluate the impact and effectiveness of biodegradable pots while

being compared to commercially available single-use plastic planters. The graphs shown
below will showcase the results of calculated tests done by the researchers during the

experimentations.

Graph 1. Tensile Strength Mean of PEATORIBIA-BP compared to commercially available

single-use plastic pots.

Tensile Strength Mean (Mpa)

0.35

0.3

0.25

0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
PEATORIBIA-BP Plastic Planters

Tensile Strength Mean (Mpa)

Graph 2. Weight Loss Percentage of PEATORIBIA-BP

Weight Loss Percentage

16.00%

14.00%

12.00%

10.00%

8.00%

6.00%

4.00%

2.00%

0.00%
Day 7 Day 14 Day 21 Day 28 Day 35

PEATORIBIA-BP
Graph 3. Water Absorption Percentage of PEATORIBIA-BP

Water Absorption Percentage

100.00%

90.00%

80.00%

70.00%

60.00%

50.00%

40.00%

30.00%

20.00%

10.00%

0.00%
PEATORIBIA-BP

Water Absorption Percentage

Graph 4. Measured Plant Height of Onion Crops planted in PEATORIBIA-BP compared to

onion crops planted in single-use plastic planters

 Plant Height In centimeters (cm)
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Day 7 Day 14 Day 21 Day 28 Day 35

PEATORIBIA-BP Plastic Planters

Graph 5. Plant Fresh Weight of Onion Crops planted in PEATORIBIA-BP compared to

onion crops planted in single-use plastic planters.

Plant Fresh Weight In Grams

50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
PEATORIBIA-BP Plastic Planters

Plant Fresh Weight in grams (g)

Graph 6. Number of Leaves of Onion Crops planted in PEATORIBIA-BP compared to onion

crops planted in single-use plastic planters.

 The Number Of Leaves
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Day 7 Day 14 Day 21 Day 28 Day 35

PEATORIBIA-BP Plastic Planters

Graph 7. Plant Dry Weight of Onion Crops planted in PEATORIBIA-BP compared to onion

crops planted in single-use plastic planters

Plant Dry Weight in grams (g(

50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
PEATORIBIA-BP Plastic Planters

Plant Dry Weight in grams (g)

V. Expected Output & Potential Impact

 The use of biodegradable pots made from agro-waste as an alternative to single-use

plastic pots will improve red onion growth and yield. PEATORIBA-BP will increase red

onion yields while also improving vegetable quality and plant biomass. It also reduces the use

of non-biodegradable pots, which has a negative impact on the environment. Furthermore,

PEATORIBA-BP will be economical and feasible for red onion cultivation.

Additionally, by utilizing abundant biodegradable waste from agricultural practices in

the Philippines, PEATORIBA-BP increases crop yield while reducing pollution from

agricultural waste. Using fertilizer is also unnecessary because the PEATORIBA-BP has the

ability to generate nutrients for the crop on its own.