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This experiment is courtesy of 
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6-Pack Loop Rings
Photodegradable?
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Developers:
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Sister Frances Boyle RSM
West Catholic High School
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
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Dr. Eugene Dougherty
Rohm and Haas Company
Bristol, PA
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Grade
Levels:
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Grades 10 through 12
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Disciplines:
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Chemistry
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Goals:
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To have students take a closer look at
the current status of an environmental problem: the 6-pack
loop ring.
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Specific
Objectives:
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The student will:
- Review experiments testing photodegradability of the
6-pack ring.
- Do further reading and/or experimenting testing the
photogradability of the 6-pack ring.
- Come to a better understanding of the word
"photodegradability" and its application to the 6-pack
loop ring.
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Background:
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Newspapers widely covered the damage
to ocean animals caused by the 6-pack loop ring. Dolphins
and porpoises may be at considerable risk. These rings are
light enough to float on top of the water, so they may be
mistaken as food. President Reagan responded by ordering
that all 6-pack loop rings are to be photodegradable.
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Introduction:
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6-pack loop rings are made from polyethylene-carbon
monoxide copolymer. Several short experiments were done to
see if the 6-pack loop ring currently in use is
photodegradable. The experiments and their results are
listed below.
Experiment A
1.0097 g of small pieces of ring were placed in a small
beaker of sodium chloride (aq) saturated solution, covered
with plastic wrap and a watch glass, and left in a hood
under regular light. After five (5) days, the sample was
washed and dried in the oven at about 150� F and 0.8372
g remained. Apparent change = 0.1725 g or 17.1%. Experiment
tried once.
Experiment B
1.0500 g of small pieces of ring was placed in a small
beaker of sodium chloride (aq) saturated solution, covered
with plastic wrap and a watch glass, and left in a hood
under IR light. After five (5) days, sample was washed and
dried in oven at about 150� F and 0.9987 g remained.
Apparent change = 0.0513 g or 0.05%. No significant
change.
Experiment C
0.9196 g of small pieces of ring were placed in a small
beaker of distilled water, covered with plastic wrap and a
watch glass, and left in a hood under IR light. After five
days, the sample was dried in an oven at about 150� F
and 0.9212 g remained. Limitations of balance or water still
clinging to the sample seem to explain results.
Experiment D
Three 6-pack loop rings were removed from a soda case.
The first was rinsed and weighed 3.11 g. The second was left
on the ground outside in a sunny area for sixty (60) hours,
rinsed, air dried, and weighed 3.08 g. The third was left in
a bucket of salt water covered with plastic wrap for sixty
(60) hours, rinsed, air dried, and weighed 3.12 g. There
seemed to be no significant photodegradability.
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Material:
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6-pack loop rings
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Procedures:
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As a chemist, you are to devise procedures for testing
the photodegradability of 6-pack loop rings. First you
search the literature. Introduction tells some work that has
already been done. What else has or should be done?
Photodegradability - how is it defined? How long a time
period does it imply for the 6-pack loop ring?.
HYPOTHESIS
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TESTING PROCEDURES
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RESULTS
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Teaching Note:
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SEPARATION BEFORE PLASTIC RECYCLING. 6-PACK LOOP RINGS -
PHOTODEGRADABLE? and LATEX HELIUM BALLOONS - ANY
ALTERNATIVES can be used independently or they can be used
as an environmental concerns packet, as I used them with my
physics classes. All students had had Chemistry the year
before and had at least some discussion of environmental
concerns. The Physics course called for a review of density
and so I began with SEPARATION BEFORE PLASTIC RECYCLING.
SEPARATION BEFORE PLASTIC RECYCLING was completed with
the class. Then the students were given a choice of an
independent research project. The choices were:
- Experiment with 6-PACK LOOP RINGS - PHOTODEGRADABLE?
- Experiment with LATEX HELIUM BALLOONS - ANY
ALTERNATIVE?
- Write a letter seeking information on plastic
recycling to one (1) of the addresses listed on pages
from ENVIRONMENTALLY DEGRADABLE POLYMERS - Supplement A
by Harry E. Johnson.
Organization Activity List
Students gave preliminary reports of their progress two
and four weeks after the assignment was given. A final
report of their experimental work or information learned
from letter-writing was due in six weeks. Students were told
that experiments were successful when they gave report of
process used and data obtained. They did not have to reach
an undisputable answer on whether the 6-pack loop ring is
photodegradable or come up with a successful alternative to
the latex helium balloon. They needed to be involved in the
process of scientific research.
American Society for Testing and
Materials
1916 Race Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-1187
(215) 299-5400
Contact: Wendy Dyer
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Environment and Plastic Institute of Canada
1262 Don Mills Road, Suite 104
Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 2W7
(416) 449-3444
Contact: Dr. Fred Edgecombe
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Association of Plastics Manufacturers in
Europe
Avenue Louise 250, Box 73
1050 Brussels, Belgium
(02) 640 28 50
Contact: Peter Claus, Director
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Flexible Packaging Association
1090 Vermont Avenue N.W., Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 842-3880
Contact: Glenn A. Braswell, President
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Center for Marine Conservation
1725 DeSales Street
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 429-5609
Contact: Patty Debenham
Marine Debris and Entanglement Clearinghouse
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Keep America Beautiful
Nine West Broad Street
Stamford, CT 06902
(203) 322-8987
Contact: Russell Canning,
Communications Manager
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Degradable Plastics Council
1000 Executive Parkway,
St. Louis, MO 63141-6397
(314) 576-5207
Contact: Timothy J. Draeger, Executive Director
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Mobil Chemical Company
Suite 1051159 Pittsford-Victor Road
Pittsford, New York 14534
(800) 333-0124
Contact: Robert J. Barrett, General Manager
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Environmental Action Foundation
1525 New Hampshire Avenue N.W
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 745-4879
Contact: Jean Wirka
Solid Waste Alternatives Project
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National Association for Plastic
Container Recovery
5024 Parkway Plaza Blvd., Suite 200
Charlotte, NC 28217
(704) 523-8543
Contact: Luke Schmidt, President
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Plastics Institute of America
Stevens Institute of Technology
Castle Point Station
Hoboken, NJ 07030
(201) 420-5100
Contact: Dr. Michael Curry
Staff Member, PIA
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SPI-Council for Solid Waste Solutions
(202) 371-5320
Contact: Susan Vadney
Hoboken, NJ 07030
SPI-Plastics Bottle Institute
(202) 371-5244
Contact: Deanne Dillingham
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The Society of the Plastics Industry
1275 K St. N.W., Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20005
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SPI-Plastics Recycling Foundation
(202) 371-5212
Contact: Wayne Pearson
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SPI-Council for Plastics and
Packaging
In the Environment
(202) 789-1310
Contact: Edward J. Stana, Executive Director
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The Vinyl Institute
155 Route 46 West
Wayne, NJ 07470
(201) 890-9299
Contact: Roy Gottesman,
Executive Director
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This experiment is courtesy of 
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