2012-2013

ALL INDIA SENIOR SECONDARY

BOARD EXAMINATION

CERTIFICATE
NAME: 1)ABHIJEET BHATTACHARYA
ROLL NO:
2) ABHISHEK PANDEY
ROLL NO:
THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE INVESTIGATORY PROGECT HAS
BEEN PERFORMED BY THE STUDENT SATISFACTORILY.

DATE:
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------------------SCHOOL STAMP

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KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA
AMBARNATH
CHEMISTRY INVESTIGATORY

PROJECT

ECOFRIENDLY METHODS TO DEGRADE

PLASTICS..

BY - Abhishek-

Pandey
Abhijeet-Bhattacharya
Xii-B

:: Latest findings..

Plastic takes thousands of years to decompose but 16-year-old

science fair contestant Daniel Burd made it happen in just three
months.
The Waterloo, Ontario high school junior figured that something
must make plastic degrade, even if it does take millennia, and that
something was probably bacteria.
(Hey, at between one-half and 90 percent of Earths biomass,
bacterias a pretty safe bet for any biological mystery.)
The Record reports that Burd mixed landfill dirt with yeast and tap
water, then added ground plastic and let it stew. The plastic indeed
decomposed more quickly than it would in nature; after
experimenting with different temperatures and configurations,
Burd isolated the microbial munchers. One came from the bacterial
genus Pseudomonas, and the other from the genus Sphingomonas.
Burd says this should be easy on an industrial scale: all thats
needed is a fermenter, a growth medium and plastic, and the
bacteria themselves provide most of the energy by producing heat
as they eat.
The only waste is water and a bit of carbon dioxide.

::Polymer degradation
Polymer degradation is a change in the propertiestensile strength, color, shape,
etc.of a polymer or polymer-based product under the influence of one or more
environmental factors such as heat, light or chemicals such as acids, alkalis and
some salts. These changes are usually undesirable, such as cracking and chemical
disintegration of products or, more rarely, desirable, as in biodegradation, or
deliberately lowering the molecular weight of a polymer for recycling. The changes
in properties are often termed "aging".
In a finished product such a change is to be prevented or delayed. Degradation can
be useful for recycling/reusing the polymer waste to prevent or reduce
environmental pollution. Degradation can also be induced deliberately to assist
structure determination.

Polymeric molecules are very large (on the molecular scale), and their unique and
useful properties are mainly a result of their size. Any loss in chain length lowers
tensile strength and is a primary cause of premature cracking.

::Thermal degradation
Chain-growth polymers like poly(methyl methacrylate) can be degraded by
thermolysis at high temperatures to give monomers, oils, gases and water. The
degradation takes place by:
Thermolysis
type

Added material Temperature Pressure

Pyrolysis

Around
500C

Reduced
pressure

Hydrogenation Dihydrogen

Around
450C

Around 200
bars

Gasification

Dioxygen
and/or water

Under
pressure

Final product

Carbon monoxide,
Carbon dioxide and
hydrogen

:: GOING THROUGH CHEMICAL

WAYS

::Solvolysis
Step-growth polymers like polyesters, polyamides and polycarbonates can
be degraded by solvolysis and mainly hydrolysis to give lower molecular
weight molecules. The hydrolysis takes place in the presence of water
containing an acid or a base as catalyst. Polyamide is sensitive to
degradation by acids and polyamide mouldings will crack when attacked by
strong acids. For example, the fracture surface of a fuel connector showed
the progressive growth of the crack from acid attack (Ch) to the final cusp
(C) of polymer. The problem is known as stress corrosion cracking, and in
this case was caused by hydrolysis of the polymer. It was the reverse
reaction of the synthesis of the polymer:-

::Ozonolysis

Cracks can be formed in many different elastomers by ozone

attack. Tiny traces of the gas in the air will attack double bonds in rubber chains, with Natural
rubber, polybutadiene, Styrene-butadiene rubber and NBR being most sensitive to degradation.
Ozone cracks form in products under tension, but the critical strain is very small. The cracks are
always oriented at right angles to the strain axis, so will form around the circumference in a
rubber tube bent over. Such cracks are dangerous when they occur in fuel pipes because the
cracks will grow from the outside exposed surfaces into the bore of the pipe, and fuel leakage
and fire may follow.

::Oxidation

IR spectrum showing carbonyl absorption due to oxidative degradation of

polypropylenecrutchmoulding.Polymers are susceptible to attack by atmospheric oxygen,
especially at elevated temperatures encountered during processing to shape. Many process
methods such as extrusion and injection moulding involve pumping molten polymer into tools,
and the high temperatures needed for melting may result in oxidation unless precautions are
taken. For example, a forearm crutch suddenly snapped and the user was severely injured in the
resulting fall. The crutch had fractured across a polypropylene insert within the aluminium tube
of the device, and infra-red spectroscopy of the material showed that it had oxidised, possible as
a result of poor moulding.
Polypropylene has a relatively simple spectrum with few peaks at the
carbonyl position (like polyethylene). Oxidation tends to start at tertiary
carbon atoms because the free radicals formed here are more stable and
longer lasting, making them more susceptible to attack by oxygen. The
carbonyl group can be further oxidized to break the chain, this weakens the
material by lowering its molecular weight, and cracks start to grow in the
regions affected.

::Galvanic action
Polymer degradation by galvanic action was first described in the technical
literature in 1990.This was the discovery that "plastics can corrode", i.e.
polymer degradation may occur through galvanic action similar to that of
metals under certain conditions. Normally, when two dissimilar metals such
as copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) are put into contact and then immersed in salt
water, the iron will undergo corrosion, or rust. This is called a galvanic circuit
where the copper is the noble metal and the iron is the active metal, i.e.,
the copper is the cathode or positive (+) electrode and the iron is the
anode, or negative (-) electrode. A battery is formed. It follows that plastics
are made stronger by impregnating them with thin carbon fibers only a few
micrometers in diameter known as carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP).
The carbon fibers act as a noble metal similar to gold (Au) or platinum (Pt).
When put into contact with a more active metal, for example with aluminum
(Al) in salt water the aluminum corrodes. However in early 1990, it was
reported that imide-linked resins in CFRPcomposites degrade when bare
composite is coupled with an active metal in salt water environments. This
is because corrosion not only occurs at the aluminum anode, but also at the
carbon fibercathode in the form of a very strong base with a pH of about 13.
This strong base reacts with the polymer chain structure degrading the
polymer.

::Chlorine-induced cracking

Another highly reactive gas is chlorine, which will attack susceptible

polymers such as acetal resin and polybutylene pipework. There have been
many examples of such pipes and acetal fittings failing in properties in the
US as a result of chlorine-induced cracking. In essence, the gas attacks
sensitive parts of the chain molecules (especially secondary, tertiary, or
allylic carbon atoms), oxidizing the chains and ultimately causing chain
cleavage. The root cause is traces of chlorine in the water supply, added for
its anti-bacterial action, attack occurring even at parts per million traces of

the dissolved gas. The chlorine attacks weak parts of a product, and in the
case of an acetal resin junction in a water supply system, it is the thread
roots that were attacked first, causing a brittle crack to grow. Discolouration
on the fracture surface was caused by deposition of carbonates from the
hard water supply, so the joint had been in a critical state for many months.

:: Biological degradation

::PHOTO-DEGRADATION:-

The only real way to break down plastic, when UV rays strike plastic, they break
the bonds holding the long molecular chain together. Over time, this can turn a big
piece of plastic into lots of little pieces.
Of course, plastic buried in a landfill rarely sees the light of day. But in the ocean,
which is where a lot of discarded grocery bags, soft drink bottles and six-pack rings
end up, plastic is bathed in as much light as water. In 2009, researchers from Nihon
University in Chiba, Japan, found that plastic in warm ocean water can degrade in
as little as a year, but those small bits of plastic are toxic chemicals such as
bisphenol A (BPA) and PS oligomer. These end up in the guts of animals or wash up
on shorelines, where humans are most likely to come into direct contact with the
toxins. One solution to this environmental disaster is biodegradable
plastic.
There are two types currently on the market -- plant-based
hydro-biodegradable plastic and petroleum-based oxobiodegradable plastic. In the former category, polylactic acid
(PLA), a plastic made from corn, tops the list as the most talkedabout alternative. PLA decomposes into water and carbon dioxide
in 47 to 90 days -- four times faster than a PET-based bag floating
in the ocean. But conditions have to be just right to achieve these

kinds of results. PLA breaks down most efficiently in commercial

composting facilities at high temperatures.

:: Fungus that Eats Plastic

Researchers have found the first endophytic fungus that eats plastic, and can use it
as its sole food source even in an oxygen-free environment.
Pestalotiopsismicrospora presents a massive bioremediation opportunity for
landfills, where buried and surface plastics can be degraded naturally. More likely,
though, the enzyme responsible for degrading polyurethane (PUR) will be tweaked,
patented and commercialized. There will be no mad escape into urban centers
where the mold will eat all our plastics, like medical scientist Kit Pedler envisioned
in his sci-fi classic, Mutant 59: The Plastic Eaters.
P. microspora is ubiquitous in rainforests around the world,
signifying its substantial role in forest ecosystem health. It also
produces taxol, a chemical used to treat breast and ovarian
cancers, though the Himalayan yew is more commercially
profitable for extracting it.
The jungle fungus spits out an enzyme that diffuses to a
significant distance from its body, expanding the potential range
of cleanup. Though touted in the media as a mushroom, P.
microspora is actually a mold belonging to the Ascomycota
phylum. Mushrooms belong to Basidiomycota. As an endophyte,
it lives symbiotically within plants, whereas mushrooms tend to be
ectophytes that live on plants. The winning fungal isolates came

from the guava tree (Psidiumguajava) and the custard apple tree
(Annonamuricata).

:: CONCLUSION::: Steps

towards a better future:

Though, we have surely advanced few steps towards eradication of plastics as an

eco-problem. But as we know most of all the ways of degradation need ample
amount of time. Surely production of plastics and their waste products is far ahead
than its rate of degradation, so better is to adopt ways to minimize this rate of
production of plastic waste so that we lay down guidelines for better future. Certain
methods that we can adopt are:1.

Buy products with less Plastic packaging and tell store

Personnel why you are doing so. Shoppers should use their
own bags or recycled paper bags.

Support recycling schemes and promote support for one in

your local area.

Fishermen throughout South Africa should not throw away

waste line, net or plastic litter - this causes huge suffering and
many deaths.

Practice and promote proper disposal of plastics in your home

and at the beach. Always remember that litter generates
litter. Never dispose of plastics in the sewage system.

At the beach dispose of plastics and other litter in the bins

provided. If these facilities are inadequate, contact the local
authority responsible and lodge a complaint. Take your litter
back home with you if there are no receptacles on the beach.
Pick up any plastic litter you may see on the beach or in rock

pools in the vicinity in which you are sitting or walking.

Encourage young children to do likewise.
1

In the street never throw plastic or other litter out of your car
or drop it on the pavement or in the gutter.

Set an example to others and encourage them to help.

Plastics are not themselves a problem. They are useful and
popular materials which can be produced with relatively little
damage to the environment. The problem is the excessive use
of plastics in one-off applications together with careless
disposal.

PREFACE
THIS PROJECT IS BASED ON THE LABORATORY EXPERIMENT
AT KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA AMBARNATH. THE AIM OF THIS
PROJECT IS TO INCULCATE CURIOSITY, IMAGINATION,
INSPIRATION AND A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY TO SAVE THE
EARTH.

ACKOWLEDGEMENT

WE ARE THANKFUL TO OUR CHEMISTRY MADAM, MRS. SHIPRA

GUPTA FOR HER CONSTANT GUIDANCE IN THE COMPLETION OF THIS

PROJECT

WE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CO-OPERATION EXTENDED BY Mr.

NARASPPA IN HELPING ME TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT IN TIME.

INDEX
1

LATEST FINDINGS

POLYMER DREGRADATION

THERMAL DEGRADATION

CHEMICAL WAYS

BIOLOGICAL DEGRADATION

CONCLUSION