Bananarama: Bioplastic made from banana peels
Elif Bilgin explained that the starch and cellulose present in banana peels are a possible replacement for traditional petroleum based plastic.
According to one of her experiments, 4N pulling force on the plastic from the opposite sides showed no change in strength and there was no decay in the plastic after 30 days.
Bilgin's project won top prize and $50,000 at the Scientific American Science in Action competition and made her a finalist in the Google Science Fair in September.
To make the plastic she took the banana peel, dipped it into sodium metabisulfite solution, boiled the banana peels and mashed them into a puree or a paste. 25ml of this paste is taken with sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid and glycerine and then it is baked and becomes plastic.
