An Innovative Alternative to Plastic Straws with Bacterial Cellulose
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v12i3.4809Keywords:
Plastic Straw, Bacterial Cellulose, SCOBY, EnvironmentAbstract
This study aims to introduce the usage of biodegradable bacterial cellulose as an alternative material to straw production. Cellulose is a crystalline linear chain polysaccharide found in various organisms with cell walls. Known for its strength and durability, cellulose is also biodegradable due to its organic nature. Through a series of different experiments that include the production of cellulose from SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and the subsequent creation of straws from the cellulose and food-safe glue, this study proposes a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic straws. Further experiments were done to compare the functionality of the cellulose straw to that of plastic straws and other alternatives currently in the market, including paper and metal straws. This was done using a strength test to see how much weight the straws could hold before breaking, a test to see how long the straws could maintain their integrity with water running through them, and an experiment where different drinking liquids were used. It was found that the cellulose straws displayed no loss in functionality when compared to the other straws and displayed similar levels of durability as the plastic straws.
Downloads
References or Bibliography
Chamas, A., Moon, H., Zheng, J., Qiu, Y., Tabassum, T., Jang, J. H., Abu-Omar, M. M., Scott, S. L., & Suh, S. (2020). Degradation Rates of Plastics in the Environment. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 8(9), 3494–3511. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b06635
Does Sugar-Free Kombucha Exist (n.d.). https://www.brewdrkombucha.com/blog/does-sugar-free-kombucha-exist/#:~:text=The%20sugar%20feeds%20the%20yeast,consumed%20during%20the%20fermentation%20process
Fairweather, A. (2021). 5 Essential Ways to Care for Your Kombucha SCOBY. www.symbiota.co.nz. https://symbiota.co.nz/blogs/news/5-essential-ways-to-care-for-your-kombucha-scoby
Gaggia, F., Baffoni, L., Galiano, M., Nielsen, D. S., Jakobsen, R., Castro-Mejía, J. L., Bosi, S., Truzzi, F., Musumeci, F., Dinelli, G., & Di Gioia, D. (2018). Kombucha Beverage from Green, Black and Rooibos Teas: A Comparative Study Looking at Microbiology, Chemistry and Antioxidant Activity. Nutrients, 11(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11010001
Guzzetti, E., Sureda, A., Tejada, S., & Faggio, C. (2018). Microplastic in marine organism: Environmental and toxicological effects. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 64, 164–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etap.2018.10.009
Harrison, K., & Curtin, C. (2021). Microbial Composition of SCOBY Starter Cultures Used by Commercial Kombucha Brewers in North America. Microorganisms, 9(5), 1060. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9051060
Jakubczyk, K., Antoniewicz, J., Kochman, J., & Janda, K. (2020). Chemical Profile and Antioxidant Activity of the Kombucha Beverage Derived from White, Green, Black and Red Tea. Antioxidants, 9(5), 447. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9050447
Jeon, J., Park, S., Choi, T., Park, J. Y., Yang, Y., & Rene, E. R. (2021). Biodegradation of polyethylene and polypropylene by Lysinibacillus species JJY0216 isolated from soil grove. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 191, 109662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2021.109662
Johnsen, R. (2014, September 22). Growing microbial cellulose [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d_JscPIaPI&t=10s
Killham, K., & Prosser, J. I. (2015). The Bacteria and Archaea. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 41–76). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-415955-6.00003-7
Llc, C. D. (2019, January 9). Choosing Tea for Your Kombucha. Mr. Beer. https://www.mrbeer.com/blog/post/choosing-tea-kombucha#:~:text=Black%20Tea%20provides%20the%20highest,in%20most%20kombucha%20tea%20blends
Manual for growing bacterial leather (kombucha). (2018, May 12). BioFabForum. https://biofabforum.org/t/manual-for-growing-bacterial-leather-kombucha/210
Lustri, W. R., De Oliveira Barud, H. G., Da SilvaBarud, H., De Freitas Sanches Peres, M., Gutierrez, J., De Oliveira Junior Agnieszka Tercjak, O. B., & Ribeiro, S. J. L. (2015). Microbial Cellulose — Biosynthesis Mechanisms and Medical Applications. In InTech eBooks. https://doi.org/10.5772/61797
Plastic pollution is rowing relentlessly as waste management and recycling fall short, says OECD (OECD). (n.d.). https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastic-pollution-is-growing-relentlessly-as-waste-management-and-recycling-fall-short.htm
Rochman, C. M. (2013). Plastics and Priority Pollutants: A Multiple Stressor in Aquatic Habitats. Environmental Science & Technology, 47(6), 2439–2440. https://doi.org/10.1021/es400748b
Scoby Textiles part 2. (2019, May 29). Plant Chicago. https://www.plantchicago.org/post/scoby-textiles-part-2
The Be Straw Free Campaign (U.S. National Park Service). (n.d.). https://www.nps.gov/articles/straw-free.htm
What is a SCOBY? | You Brew Kombucha. (n.d.). Youbrewkombucha. https://www.youbrewkombucha.com/what-is-a-scoby
Wu, D., Li, Q. X., Shang, X., Liang, Y., Ding, X. H., Sun, H., Li, S., Wang, S., Chen, Y., & Chen, J. (2021). Commodity plastic burning as a source of inhaled toxic aerosols. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 416, 125820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125820
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2023 Sean Lee, Kevin Lee; Joshua Whang
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright holder(s) granted JSR a perpetual, non-exclusive license to distriute & display this article.
