Have you ever thought that the potatoes can be made into plastic? Of course many people think, impossible did happen. However, for six students of SMAN 48 Jakarta, it is not impossible. Through various research and lab trials, they finally were able to create the plastic base material with potatoes.
This extraordinary discovery has led the team SMAN 48 Jakarta became champion on Competition Think Quest International 2011, which followed about 33,000 people in 7603 teams from 52 countries. Delivery of the prize will be conducted in San Francisco Bay Area, United States, October 2011.
The discovery of the plastic potato originated from trial and error and simply apply the theory they can at school.
Shape, design, and the thickness of the plastic they make has not been measured explicitly. However, their findings have opened new horizons for the development of science. The elasticity of the plastic they are made with potato base material is very similar to the plastic manufacturer.
In addition to successfully make plastic from potatoes which they called bioplastics, a team of Villa Joanna (16), Muhammad Labib Nauvaldi (16), Ikhsan Habibi (15), Tuwendy (16), Faisal Arsya (16), and Ben Hadi Pratama ( 15)-sixth is now sitting in class XI-science majors are also made of paper made from bamboo stem.
Paper produced from the stem of bamboo that was almost the same as the recycled paper that we often see: a brown and has a thicker fiber.
According to Ben Hadi Pratama, a member of the team, the initial idea of making paper from bamboo comes from the Villa and the idea of making plastics from potatoes offered by Labib.
"Initially, we were still a question mark, what really can, because just based on theory and literature. Then, we practice and conduct research on the process. If it works why, if not successful why," said his friend Ben who diiyakan fifth. From there they took each day struggling in their school chemistry lab, and finally succeeded.
The process of making plastics from potatoes and making paper from bamboo bark turned out to be too complicated and can be done at home. The team had a chance to demonstrate and practice how to make it in school chemistry laboratories.
The process of making plastic potato
To make plastic from potatoes, some raw potatoes washed, then scraped until slightly soft. Grated potatoes mixed with sufficient water and diulek to be more subtle. After that, the grated potatoes to remove the water is filtered so that only the remaining white precipitate, namely potato starch.
Potato starch is then washed again and again filtered. Wait until the precipitate. Deposition of potato starch flour is then mixed with HCl or acetic acid or vinegar kitchen, glycerin, and water. Then, a mixture of potato starch, HCL, glycerine, and water is heated over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. "Later the results will be gel-like white," said Ben.
Gel of potato starch is then etched with NaOH (sodium hydroxide) or caustic soda, drop by drop, and then tested with litmus paper pinned to pink. If the litmus paper turns red, droplets of caustic soda should be added. "Until the paper lakmusnya blue or green," said Ben.
If the gel is soaked in NaOH in a test of the litmus paper turns pink to blue or green, the gel is ready to be plastic. Gel is then ready formed or cast in molds and dried for several hours or at most a day to dry. After drying, the gel turns into a clear plastic.
Paper made from bamboo
The process of making paper from bamboo stem is also quite simple. Stem of bamboo or leather pads are washed and stems cut into small pieces, then mixed with NaOH (sodium hydroxide) or caustic soda and boil over medium heat for two hours. While boiled, cut stem of bamboo was stirred with a wooden stirrer. "If you wear made from metal stirrer, there will be corrosive nature, because it's there-NaOH," said Vilia.
After two hours of boiling, pieces of bamboo bark back cleaned and washed, then mixed with glue paper to taste with a blend of up to a pulp. Pulp and paper going to print the screen and left to dry several hours. "When dry, live screen and be taken from the paper," said Vilia.
Paper-made Vilia and his friends are almost the same as recycled paper. Their paper is brown and has a thicker fiber. "We're looking for ways to make it white. It may be mixed with chlorine bleach or clothes," he said. In addition to making paper from bamboo midrib and bioplastics from potatoes, they also offer the manufacture of paper from red algae or seaweed. "We know from the literature that fiber content be appropriate for the paper," he said.
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