The project "BIOPLASTIC - Producing bioplastic items from sweet potatoes, bagasse, coffee grounds" by a group of students from Tran Van Giau High School (Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) won first prize in the 2023 city-level "Students with Startup Ideas" contest. The project was also selected to participate in this contest at the national level.
Replace traditional plastic
MSc. Le Van Nam - teacher at Tran Van Giau High School, who is the project's instructor - said the project was built on the idea of developing bioplastics to replace traditional plastics from waste sources. The research team chose sweet potatoes, sugarcane bagasse and coffee grounds to create bioplastics with properties of being hard, light, durable, environmentally friendly and safe for users.
Talking about the project, Vu Thi Hong Minh, a member of the Net - Zero research group, said that the above products have been tested for chemical indicators such as metal exposure index, plastic... The project has taken advantage of materials that no longer have economic value or low value, often burned or dumped, causing environmental pollution.
According to the project team, other bioplastic products on the market are flexible and are mainly used to make plastic bags or food wraps. However, the bioplastic launched by the Net-Zero team is superior in hardness, lightness and durability, and can be used to make many other useful products. Moreover, this bioplastic can decompose in the environment without causing pollution or negative impacts.
Experimental group of the project “BIOPLASTIC - Production of bioplastic items from sweet potatoes, bagasse, coffee grounds” in the laboratory
The project team representative said that while traditional plastics take hundreds to thousands of years to decompose, existing bioplastics only take 1 year. Net-Zero's bioplastics take 3-5 years to completely decompose, so the product can be used for a longer time while still ensuring a fairly quick decomposition time.
Many practical values
Mr. Le Van Nam said that the project aims to sell the main products such as chess sets, Chinese chess pieces, handmade tabletop plant pots, scented candle molds... made of bioplastic. These products are not only convenient, useful, and aesthetic, but are also considered an effective alternative to traditional plastic products that are difficult to decompose.
Presenting the project, the research team confidently affirmed that the products bring high economic value, can be widely applied, create a potential green product market and also create more job opportunities for people.
Students play chess from Net-Zero's bioplastic products
Kieu Ngoc Han, a team member, said the project was developed at the Environmental Technology Laboratory - VNU-HCM and Van Lang University (HCMC) with support from experts. The product is in the testing phase but has been well received by many customers because of its many outstanding advantages and reasonable price.
The research team shared that the goal is not only to develop bioplastic products to replace traditional plastics but also to contribute to the formation of a "zero waste" lifestyle, accompanying environmental protection programs.
According to the Jury of the 2023 "Students with Startup Ideas" contest organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, this is a project of practical significance for the environment in Vietnam in particular and the world in general, helping to increase the value of agricultural products. At the same time, the project has a positive impact on people's awareness of environmental protection issues; promoting sustainable development and creating a healthy living environment for future generations.
The group of students from Tran Van Giau High School (HCMC) participating in the project includes: Vu Thi Hong Minh, Nguyen Thi Hoai Ni, Kieu Ngoc Han, Nguyen Hoang Linh Dan and Ho Quoc Thuy An.
Spreading the entrepreneurial spirit of students
The "Students with Startup Ideas" contest is organized annually by the Ministry of Education and Training to create an experiential environment; incubate feasible ideas for students; nurture the entrepreneurial spirit for students from the time they are still in school; and diversify funding sources to support potential projects.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the competition was launched in October 2023, attracting 152 projects with many interesting creative ideas in many fields.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Huu Huy Nhut - Vice Principal of Hong Bang International University (HCMC), Deputy Judge of the city-level competition - assessed that the participating projects all had profound ideas, demonstrated the ability to grasp the needs of life, and therefore had high practicality. This is a positive signal of the entrepreneurial spirit spreading widely among students throughout HCMC.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/ba-ca-phe-ba-mia-thanh-chau-cay-bo-co-196240224203122492.htm
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