High school students in Kayseri aim to compete with plastic with the biocomposite material they produce from rice husk. Biology teacher Gamze Koçkarsantıoğlu said, “Our paddy husks are burned in the field after the harvest and sent to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. We have transformed it into zero waste with our work. We have obtained an organic, biocomposite material by going through various processes in our laboratory.”
The students, who took action due to the widespread use of packaged products and the increase in the use of plastic during the Kovid-19 epidemic, sought alternative products to plastic.
Students transformed rice husk into biocomposite material in experiments they conducted in the laboratory.
In the tests, gloves that can be used in the health and cleaning sector were produced in the first stage from the material, which was determined to be destroyed in the soil in 6 months, about 70 percent.
The biocomposite material, whose patent and registration process continues, is being introduced at TEKNOFEST BLACK SEA, held at Samsun Çarşamba Airport.
Biology teacher Gamze Koçkarsantıoğlu said that they have developed an environmentally friendly product that is an alternative to plastic, which is very harmful to nature.
Stating that the biocomposite material has more than one benefit, Koçkarsantıoğlu said, “Our paddy husks are burned in the field after the harvest and sent to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. We have transformed it into zero waste with our work. We have obtained an organic, biocomposite material by going through various processes in our laboratory.”
Stating that they produced bioplastic gloves that can be used in the health and cleaning sector in the first stage from this material, Koçkarsantıoğlu said, “The nanoparticles in the glove provide antibacteriality. It is a skin-friendly material because it contains glycerin.”
Explaining that latex gloves, especially used in the health and cleaning sector, harm both the environment and the country’s economy because they are imported, Koçkarsantıoğlu said, “Our gloves reduce the cost by 50 percent and because they are environmentally friendly, they protect the soil. It supports both zero waste and sustainable development.”
Stating that they will develop the product further, Koçkarsantioğlu said, “We are at the patent stage for the product, I hope we will produce different products next year. We will be able to make products such as plastic bottles and plates from it, not just gloves. We asked the farmers for raw materials and they sent them. We developed a zero waste product at zero cost.”
Source Yeni Şafak
