Becoming an Environmentally

1
Becoming an Environmentally Educated Consumer of
Polymers
Catherine M. Ermann, Bethel High School WISTR
Teacher Partnership Program Dr. Jennifer
Frederick, WCSU Faculty Mentor
Goal To make students aware of
environmentally-friendly alternatives to
non-biodegradable polyethylene polymers.

• State of Connecticut Core Themes, Content
  Standards and Expected Performances Addressed in
  This ProjectScience and Technology in Society
  How do science and technology affect the quality
  of our lives?
• 9.6 - Chemical technologies present both risks
  and benefits to the health and well-being of
  humans, plants and animals.
• Explain the short- and long-term impacts of
  landfills and incineration of waste materials on
  the quality of the environment.

Procedure Students were exposed to synthetic
polymer chemistry and characteristics through a
number of instructional lectures and laboratories.
WISTR Developed Lab Effects of Heat and pH on
the Decomposition of 100 Biodegradable
Composting Bags
Overview Students exposed samples of a
starch/copolyester-based biodegradable bag to
solutions of different pH and temperature. They
were asked to project what would happen based on
their knowledge of starch hydrolysis by acid.
They believed the acid would attack the starch,
causing the sample to degrade but not totally
disappear. When this did not happen, they were
baffled.

• Outcome
• Though not the outcome expected, the students
  came away with the following experiences
• Since this experiment yielded unexpected results,
  they had to brainstorm what steps they would take
  next. With knowledge that the bags do decompose
  in compost piles, they came up with strategies to
  test the bags using microorganisms.
• They discovered that not all experiments yield
  results nor work the first time. Since these
  students will be designing and performing their
  own experiments for Science Horizons, this was a
  valuable lesson to learn.
• Even though they could not decompose the bag
  with heat and pH varied solutions, they learned
  that this was an advantage since the bags could
  be shipped, used and stored without the fear of
  them falling apart or melting together if exposed
  to humid conditions.

Acknowledgements I would gratefully like to
thank Dr. T. Pinou, and Dr. J. Frederick and Dina
Livesay for their help, encouragement and support
during this wonderful opportunity to increase my
skills as a Science Instructor. I would also
like to thank Cortec Corporation of St. Paul, MN,
for providing samples of their Eco-Works 100
Biodegradable Bags for student use. WISTR was
funded through a TPQ grant from the State of
Connecticut Department of Education. Finally, I
would like to thank my students for their help in
getting this project completed.