Abstract

Description

Our project consists of making straws or straws made of a sugarcane-based polymer, these pellets are introduced into the extruder, where they reach the melting point and are formed by a nozzle at the end of the extruder, then go through a cooling channel and consequently they are cut to size by blades, these fall into a hopper where they are ordered to be mounted on the paper and go to the sealing and cutting process.

Objectives

General:

Design and manufacture a machine that produces sugar cane straws, which are biodegradable in a period of 10 to 12 months, in order to propose an alternative to straws made of plastic and thus be able to contribute to the reduction of climate change.

Specific:

• Explain the production process of a straw based on sugar cane which are: extrusion, cooling and forming, cutting and packaging.

• Promote the use of biodegradable products such as sugar cane straws being an ecological product and thus avoid environmental pollution in the country to contribute to the reduction of the effect of climate change.

• Consider an alternative to the plastic industries in the implementation of projects in the area of agronomy. Encouraging the use of biodegradable products.

Problem Statement

The technical scientific project consists of the realization of a machine that produces sugar cane straws that become an alternative to traditional straws made of plastic.

Resentful studies show that around 175 billion plastic straws are used every year, this estimates that each person uses 110 units of straws in a whole year; having these a shelf life of around 5 minutes, this does not include all the straws attached to the juice and milk cartons. Plastic being one of the longest lasting materials we know today since it takes around 500 years to decompose so these billions of plastic straws are accumulating in landfills and global ecosystems.

That is why as a group we propose the manufacture of straws based on sugar cane, since these when manufactured from a biodegradable material tend to decompose us in a period of 10 to 12 months; these being stronger and more resistant than plastic straws due to the cane fiber (stronger than corn starch). Being very resistant to heat and has a longer service life. In addition, it gives a natural touch due to the color and recycled material provided by vegetable fiber, and that allows to easily differentiate them from plastic.

Justification

The planet is facing a triple environmental emergency linked to climate change, pollution and the loss of biodiversity. According to António Gutiérrez, Secretary General of the UN, in a video press conference from New York, these three crises pose a serious threat to humanity. Who in textual words said "The world is failing to meet its commitments to limit environmental damage", concluding a report presented onThursday: "It is time to rethink our relationship with nature".

This project will reduce the generation of petroleum-based plastics, give more life to landfills and reduce air pollution, since sugarcane bagasse is currently burned. This product, which degrades in a maximum of 25 months. The residues of the cane must be previously dried, combined with enzymes and this mass is taken to a machine that heats it to a stable temperature (between 140 and 150 degrees). As the product is of vegetable origin if it is not cooked at the right temperature it can burn or remain raw, making it unusable. In this way, the burning of the bagasse of the cane is stopped and a new option is implemented in the market for the elaboration of this product, thus avoiding the use of plastic for its manufacture.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is very important to mention that disposable items made with plastic, such as straws or straws, are practical, but they involve a great cost to the environment if they are not disposed of or recycled properly. Many marine animals confuse these plastic items with food. Plastic debris has been found in about 90% of all seabirds and in all species of sea turtles. Even in the next decade there could be one pound of plastic for every three pounds of fish in the ocean. Informing the population of the damage caused by consuming products with non-degradable plastic straws is a responsibility not only of government institutions and companies with Corporate Social Responsibility, but of all of us who pursue a healthy world free of pollutants. As has been demonstrated, the option of straws based on sugar cane is a feasible option to avoid the use of plastics and by rejecting a straw or plastic straw, you can help prevent pollution caused by plastics.