MIXING IRON POWDER WITH MILK AND WHITE VINEGAR TO CREATE A MAGNETIC PLASTIC A Research Presented to the Science and Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Department Highschool Division De La Salle University- Dasmariñas City of Dasmariñas, Cavite In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for Practical Research in Senior Highschool – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Cabrera, John Paolo Matundan, Gabriel Briones, Edilberto Jr. Flores, Chris Jefferson Baldostamon, Christian Chapter I 1.1 Background of the study Plastics are any numerous natural, synthetic or factory-made material that are thermoplastic or with high molecular weight and can be made into different kinds of materials. (MB, 2019) Plastics have a wide range of uses in the modern world due to its low cost, its durability, its excellent strength to weight ratio, its low cost of maintenance and its corrosion resistance. It is used in a variety of things ranging from packages, containers, parts and materials for manufactured goods. Because of the improper management of plastics (more than one fourth of the garbage disposal sites are managed poorly) plastic now comprises 12% of all municipal solid waste. Most of the plastic are coming from the Asia pacific region, who produces 57 million tons in 2016 while Europe and central Asia is not far behind with 45 million tons. (World Bank, 2016) Plastics are the dominant garbage in the oceans, namely the Great Pacific Garbage patch where they represent 99.9% of the floating debris which amounts to 45 to 129 kilotons of plastic waste. The pacific garbage patch is a large concentration of solid waste in the northern Pacific Ocean. The garbage is concentrated in the patch due to currents that bring trash from all over the world that is brought into the patch. (L. Eberton 2019) During the International Coastal Cleanup in the Philippines 268,983 pieces of plastic straws was extracted from the beaches. The amount of trash in the beaches are turning them into landfills, the amount of trash is so great that when stacked on each other their height would be the same as 10,000 palm trees. It is estimated that half of all the of world’s plastic leakage originate from five countries, one of those being the Philippines where half a million tons of plastic are leaked into the ocean every year. The plastics can also turn into Microplastics that can be consumed by marine life and fish that we eat which may cause health issues. Clogging of canals and waterways are also a side effect of the plastics. The Clogs can cause floods especially in low altitude areas. (BMB, 2017) Due to the high amounts of plastic wastes in the ocean and in the environment, researchers have developed Bioplastics, these plastics, unlike petroleum-based plastics, conserve fuel and are biodegradable. They are being developed and used to become an alternative for regular plastics because its biodegradability, unlike regular plastic that can up to one thousand years to decompose. The Bioplastic can solve the problems of garbage clogs and patches. Every year the European Bioplastic Conference is held to help in the propagation of the use of Bioplastics contrary to regular plastics. This conference aims to help Europe in transitioning their economies to accommodate plastics. (EPC, 2019) In the Philippines the Manila bay cleanup drive was initiated by the secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Roy A. Climatu. The drives cleaned up the Manila bay area, which covered 180 kilometers of coastline, 17 rivers, 8 provinces and 178 barangays. (DENR, 2019) In 2001, the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management act was signed. Its aim was to institutionalize a national program that will manage, control, transfer, transport, processing and disposal of solid waste in the country. The Agency that was tasked to enforce this act was National Solid Waste Management Commission, which oversees the implementation of solid waste management plans according to the law. The National Solid Waste Management Commission handles plans to 10-year solid waste management plans and establish, rehabilitate dumpsites and ban the import of plastics to help in the growing plastic woes. (NSWMC, 2019) The previous efforts focus on either the management of plastic wastes, preventing garbage from being thrown into improper places in the first place or creating plastic alternatives that will not last as long as plastic and will decompose in a short period of time. They do not focus on creating a plastic that can be easily collected even if it is improperly disposed of. They do not focus on creating new ways to collect plastic. Milk and vinegar can be used to create a bioplastic, it is known as casein plastic and it was used in the early 1900s to create buttons, combs, beads and other materials. (SB, 2017) If the resulting plastic is mixed with Iron, which is magnetic it has the potential to be a magnetic plastic. This magnetic plastic can easily be collected with the use of a strong magnetic force and will greatly contribute in the methods used to collect plastic waste and help solve growing plastic waste problems. 1.2 Conceptual framework Iron Powder Vinegar Milk Magnetic Plastic The Magnetic plastic can separate plastics in oceans and gather for recyclable materials which is advantageous in industry. The constituent of the Magnetic plastic is Iron powder, Vinegar and milk which can create a of magnet which it has a force that can attract plastics, the properties of plastic changes depending on the ratio of ingredients the magnetic plastic. As if the ingredients ratio changes the forces that can make the plastic attract is less than that It can’t attract plastic in long distances or it can attract plastic in strong force and the changes of ingredients ratio can affect the durability and consistency of the magnetic plastic. Magnetic plastic is suitable in environment as it can pull plastics out in the ocean which can reduces the harm in fishes and more living things. 1.3 Statement of the Problem This study aimed to determine the adding iron powder to the mixture of milk and vinegar to create a magnetic plastic. The study included the following objectives: 1. Does the resulting substance got attracted by the magnet? 2. Does the magnet attraction work on the resulting substance under water? 3. How far does the attraction between magnet and the resulting substance be? 1.4 Hypothesis The study has considered the following hypotheses (Null) 1. The resulting substance did not get attracted by the magnet 2. The attraction did not work under water 3. The distance is not applicable. 1.5 Scope and Limitations The study will focus on using the mixture of iron powder with milk and vinegar in creating a magnetic plastic. This study will determine if the iron powder mixture could successfully attract the resulting substance by using magnets. Furthermore, the study will also determine if the resulting substance can also be attracted if submerged underwater. The significance between the attraction of the resulting substance by using magnets and if it’s underwater will be determined through how far the magnet should be to attract the magnetic plastic. The duration of the study would be performed in one to two-week span. 1.6 Significance of the Study The production of the magnetic plastic will help us take one step closer to be able to conveniently accumulate plastics that are polluting the oceans. The following will benefit from the study: The World Resource Institute, the research will help minimize the plastic pollution in the waters. The Save Philippine Seas, they will be able to maintain clean waters and raise awareness towards the use of plastics and its effects to the seas. Lastly, other student researchers who wants to provide solution in reducing plastic pollutions. Sources Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2019 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plastic Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2019 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnet British Plastics Federation, Plastic Applications, 2019 https://www.bpf.co.uk/plastipedia/applications/default.aspx European Bioplastics,What are Bioplastics?, 2016 http://en.european-bioplastics.org/bioplastics/ L. Lebreton Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic, 2018 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-22939-w DENR, MANILA BAY CLEAN UP PROGRAM, 2019 European Bioplastics, 14th European Bioplastics Conference, 2019 Biodiversity Management Bureau, Tiny Plastics, Massive Payoffs, September 21, 2018 Science Buddies, Turn milk into plastic, July 28 2017 NSWMC, 2019
