Materials testing for commercial, Oxo–biodegradable and laboratory-made plastics

Abstract

<p>Plastics are integral part of man’s modern life and are used in daily activities. Since plastics are synthesized from non-renewable sources and are generally nonbiodegradable, waste plastics are the cause of many serious environmental problems. Plastic bans were imposed to help lessen if not eliminate the damage brought about by plastic pollution. This inspired many people to conduct researchers to create plastics that have biodegrading property; thus emerged the bioplastics. The study examined three types of plastics – commercial, oxo-biodegradable, and laboratory-made plastics, according to their thickness, density, strength and heat resistance. The study used experimental and descriptive – comparative techniques involving fifteen samples of each plastic. The study utilized statistical tests of the data acquired from the results of the experiments. T-test was used to determine the significant difference of the measured variables between the three types of plastics. The results showed that laboratory-made plastic was superior compared to the two other types of plastics when it comes to thickness but it was also the weakest and most heat – sensitive. The study concludes that the three specimens have different uses to maximize their properties. The study recommends conducting a biodegradability test to further examine the three plastic specimens.</p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong>Environmental science, oxo-biodegradable, bioplastics, Davao City, Philippines</p>