The purpose of my project was to provide a new, alternative substitute to petroleum-based plastics used in plastic bags and wrapping plastic. In creating the plastic I use plant matter that contains antibacterial properties in this case ginger. I desiccated the ginger and grinded it into a fine powder in order to expose it to the chemical that would be used to rearrange the cellulose molecules in the plant matter into long strings of cellulose molecules that would from the bio-plastic. The chemical I used was trifuoroacetic acid, a strong acid that dissolved the plant matter over the course of 48-192 hours or until the solution held no precipitates. Then, when exposed to air the trifuoroacetic acid or TFA evaporates into the air, leaving dry rearranged cellulose based bio-plastic. Currently ginger has not produced a product similar to the ones produced in my preliminary studies. The samples have been frail and thin, while the samples created in my preliminary studies, which contained pure microcrystalline cellulose, have been strong no matter the thickness. In the latest study I have created combinations of microcrystalline cellulose and ginger. These samples proved to be much more structurally residual and could possibly have carried the antibacterial properties in the ginger.

The plastic is currently being tested using E. Coli. Further testing of antibacterial properties will prove if the plastic contains the antibacterial gingerols or not. I successfully created a safe and renewable bio-plastic that could be implemented into the world today with further research.