Pulp Plastic 2.0

An Innovation by Kate Berg The Problem

Plastics (and even bioplastics) rely on manufactured materials to make, which means more raw materials are used. The (Other) Problem

The making of citrus products results in an organic waste product - orange fiber - that can be processed and put to use in other ways. ○ Citri-Fi is a company that processes the citrus Background fiber from citrus products. ○ Bioplastics require a plasticizer and a polymer. ◦ Polymers are long molecular chains that comprise the basic structure of a bioplastic. In bioplastics, this is often starch. ◦ “Starch is a naturally-occurring biopolymer that, once plasticized, can be thermally processed and handled on traditional extrusion, injection-molding, blow-molding, or thermoforming equipment.” -Packworld Article The citrus fiber produced by Citri-Fi could be utilized as a polymer in bioplastic! Pulp Plastic 1.0 Original Successful ○ 6g glycerol Recipe ○ 18g gelatin ○ 6g Citri-Fi 125FG ○ 120ml distilled water

Gelatin acts as the polymer in the plastic. It provides structure. In all plastics, there is a polymer (long carbon chains) that provide structure. The citri-fi works well as a polymer because of its fibrous qualities.

There Were Places to ○ Only a few recipes were tested due to Improve... limited time. ○ The sheets were wrinkled and hard to test. ○ No recipe with 100% Citri-Fi was tested. ○ The water-solubility was a concern - the plastic became flexible again when submerged in water.

Time for something new! Now, it’s Pulp Plastic 2.0! The Product

A water-soluble, biodegradable plastic made from citrus fiber waste products. New Recipes 75% Citri-Fi: 100% Citri-Fi: More Flexible: Tested 6g glycerol 6g glycerol 12g glycerol 6g gelatin 24g citri-fi 18g gelatin 18g citri-fi 120ml water 6g citri-fi 120ml water 120ml water

Additional Citri-Fi reduces the need for other polymers (such as gelatin or industrially-used polymers).

Glycerin impacts the flexibility of the plastic, and can be increased or decreased for a more brittle or flexible plastic. Most Successful ○ 1 tsp glycerin ○ (6g glycerol) Recipe ○ 4 tsp gelatin ○ (6g gelatin) ○ 5 tsp Citri-Fi ○ (18g Citri-Fi) ○ 1/2 cup water ○ (120ml water)

This recipe uses 75% citri-fi as a polymer by mass. It produces a hard plastic that dries in a

few days if made in a ¼” sheet. Improvements ○ Used a different drying process to create and Qualities clean, smooth sheets ○ Tested using higher percentages of Citri-Fi

○ Water-soluble, breaks down in water for easier and safer disposal ○ The plastic can be bent and shaped during the initial drying period ○ The plastic dries semi-opaque, hard but slightly flexible, and odorless. Looking Future plans include larger samples of plastic, Forward testing other plant waste products, making it more industrially suitable, and using it to mold products and packaging. Another possibility includes testing it for 3D printing purposes. After determining the melting point, the plastic could be potentially water-soluble, biodegradable filament. Kate is a dedicated high school senior with About Kate dreams of being an engineer. She loves all things STEM but has a special passion for chemistry, astronomy, and physics.

Through this project, she was excited to pull from her scientific knowledge to create an environmentally beneficial product. She hopes to partner with Citri-Fi to further the development of her plastic. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Inspirations? Thank You! Citations ○ https://www.packworld.com/article/sustainability/biopla stics/biopolymer-materials-and-technologies-flourish ○ http://green-plastics.net/posts/57/qaa-bioplastic-by-da- vinci/ ○ https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/sites/agscid7/files/bioene rgy/education/plasticfork_interactive.pdf