"Teen's Science Project May Be Huge Breakthrough on Plastics"

*Hannah* · 05-24-2008, 09:51 AM

And now for something that's actually news...

Quote:

So I pretty much love Daniel Burd right now. The 16-year-old from Waterloo, Ontario, as part of a science fair project, figured out a way to break down the polymers in plastic bags—compounds that can last for over 1,000 years—in about three months. Essentially, Burd hypothesized that since the bags eventually do degrade, it must be possible to isolate and augment the degrading agents.

Turns out that it's not only possible, it's kind of easy. Burd combined ground polyethylene plastic bags, sodium chloride, dirt from a landfill (which theoretically contains the microorganisms that ultimately degrade the plastic) and a yeast mixture in shakers for four weeks at a consistent temperature of about 86 degrees. At the end of the month, he took a sample of that mixture and combined it with a new one, with the goal of increasing the overall concentration of microbes. After one more repetition, he put fresh plastic bags in his solution for six weeks. In the end, the plastic degraded nearly 20%. A little more filtering to figure out exactly which microbes were the most effective, and he upped the degradation rate to 32%. He concludes, "The process of polyethylene degradation developed in this project can be used on an industrial scale for biodegradation of plastic bags. As a result, this would save the lives of millions of wildlife species and save space in landfills."

So, will this really work? Has a teenager really found a way to rid us of one of our most persistent environmental problems? Who knows, but judges at the Canada-Wide Science Fair apparently agree that it's worth pursuing. They sent Burd home with $30,000 in awards and scholarships. You can read his final report (all six pages of it) here (.pdf).

http://www.motherjones.com/blue_marb...id_invent.html

**GK Punk** · 05-24-2008, 11:22 AM

That's pretty awesome. Hopefully something can come from this.

*Mr. Snackpants* · 05-24-2008, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hannah

And now for something that's actually news...

lulz!!1

so true...

*Aelia* · 05-24-2008, 01:40 PM

Dangit! Why can't I come up with something this cool for a science project?

Seriously though, this is awesome news. A friend of mine lives near a new landfill that was only built because the old one ran out of space. If Mr. Burd really found a viable way to reduce the amount of space landfills have been taking up, then this new landfill won't even be necessary. What pisses me off about it was that they actually cleared part of the woods near her house, which probably housed quite a few animals.

愛 · 05-25-2008, 07:37 AM

I actually read "plastics" as "physics." This thread is FAIL....or maybe just I'm FAIL.

*Buslady* · 05-25-2008, 09:59 AM

great kid, hopefully his solution to the problem would bring a halt to the idiots protesting- OF ALL THINGS- about plastic bags being used at the grocery stores!!
Only in LA.

gimme my plastic bags over paper, i dispose of them properly into the recycling bin

Peanut · 05-25-2008, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buslady

great kid, hopefully his solution to the problem would bring a halt to the idiots protesting- OF ALL THINGS- about plastic bags being used at the grocery stores!!
Only in LA.

Or everywhere? That's why a lot of places here sell those really durable re-usable bags. I know we have about 15 of those in our house. I can't even remember the last time I've seen a plastic bag in here.

*Warhorse* · 05-25-2008, 11:53 AM

^Same here. I think it's going to be a matter of time before stores require you to bring in your own bags. My local grocery stores spend over 40,000 a year in plastic bags, and I'm sure that they pass on that expense to the consumers.

My local JC Penneys has even started to sell big cloth bags. It's definitely the way of the future.

**Jester** · 05-25-2008, 12:37 PM

In Italy, when we were over there, if you asked for their plastic bags, you were infact charged for them, which lead my mom to carry re-usables.

Ra · 05-25-2008, 03:53 PM

Over here we were going to be charged for plastic bags, which was probably the smartest idea our government had come up with in years. Unfortunately, it's been a brilliant idea for about five years now, and it hasn't really taken shape and form yet. Although some of my favourite stores do it, which is good.

And I'm interested in how this turns out. Hopefully this idea can be used worldwide now.

RAM BAM · 06-08-2008, 09:07 PM

At the low-end grocery stores here in Ontario, Canada they charge a nominal fee per grocery bag of usually five cents.

05-25-2008, 09:59 AM	#6
Buslady WingsOfDarkness! Perkele! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: In 7803... Posts: 4,366	great kid, hopefully his solution to the problem would bring a halt to the idiots protesting- OF ALL THINGS- about plastic bags being used at the grocery stores!! Only in LA. gimme my plastic bags over paper, i dispose of them properly into the recycling bin __________________

05-25-2008, 12:37 PM	#9
Jester Rat-faced Dude-guy Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Arkansas Posts: 26,301	In Italy, when we were over there, if you asked for their plastic bags, you were infact charged for them, which lead my mom to carry re-usables. __________________ "Clearly, you're Ninja Turtling incorrectly." - Leo656

05-25-2008, 03:53 PM	#10
Ra It's my desire? Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: In your pants. Posts: 4,441	Over here we were going to be charged for plastic bags, which was probably the smartest idea our government had come up with in years. Unfortunately, it's been a brilliant idea for about five years now, and it hasn't really taken shape and form yet. Although some of my favourite stores do it, which is good. And I'm interested in how this turns out. Hopefully this idea can be used worldwide now. __________________ "So. The whole lot of you against little old me? How retarded."

05-24-2008, 11:22 AM	#2
GK Punk I'm your Devil Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 12,439	That's pretty awesome. Hopefully something can come from this.

05-24-2008, 01:40 PM	#4
Aelia Hamfisted Bun Vendor Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 1,582	Dangit! Why can't I come up with something this cool for a science project? Seriously though, this is awesome news. A friend of mine lives near a new landfill that was only built because the old one ran out of space. If Mr. Burd really found a viable way to reduce the amount of space landfills have been taking up, then this new landfill won't even be necessary. What pisses me off about it was that they actually cleared part of the woods near her house, which probably housed quite a few animals.

05-25-2008, 07:37 AM	#5
愛 Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 7,449	I actually read "plastics" as "physics." This thread is FAIL....or maybe just I'm FAIL.

05-25-2008, 11:53 AM	#8
Warhorse Emperor Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 5,544	^Same here. I think it's going to be a matter of time before stores require you to bring in your own bags. My local grocery stores spend over 40,000 a year in plastic bags, and I'm sure that they pass on that expense to the consumers. My local JC Penneys has even started to sell big cloth bags. It's definitely the way of the future.

06-08-2008, 09:07 PM	#11
RAM BAM Hench Mutant Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Will O' The Wisp Posts: 472	At the low-end grocery stores here in Ontario, Canada they charge a nominal fee per grocery bag of usually five cents.