Plant-Based Products and Sustainability

Plant-Based Products for Sustainability

• Sustainability involves using resources in a way that meets the current needs without depleting them for future generations.
• This requires using renewable resources, which can be used without running out.
• Solar energy is a renewable resource because the sun will continue to shine for billions of years.
• Fossil fuels exemplify non-renewable resources, potentially depleting if overused, as they take millions of years to form.
• Sustainable practices minimize environmental damage to ensure resources for future generations.
• Replanting trees after logging exemplifies a sustainable practice.
• Unsustainable practices are restricted by the finite supply of resources.
• Using fossil fuels to create oil-based plastics exemplifies unsustainable practices.

Plant Fibres and Sustainability

• Plant fibres can be used to create products like ropes and fabrics and is more sustainable than using oil-based plastics.
• Plant fibres lessen fossil fuel consumption as plants can be replanted.
• Plant fibres are biodegradable, unlike most oil-based plastics, meaning products made from them can be broken down by microbes for minimal pollution.
• Growing and processing plants is easier and cheaper than extracting and processing oil, making plant-based production more accessible in developing countries.
• Ropes made from plant fibres are typically not as strong as plastic ones.

Starch and Sustainability

• Plants store excess sugars as starch in their cells.
• Starch can be used to create bioplastics, a more sustainable alternative than oil-based plastics.
• Bioplastics require fewer fossil fuels to produce, and the crop plants can be replanted as a renewable resource.
• Starch can also be used to make bioethanol, a vehicle fuel alternative.
• Producing biofuels from starch is more sustainable than producing them from oil.

Bioplastics

• Bioplastics derive from biological polymers like starch and cellulose.
• Bioplastics can serve as a suitable replacement for traditional plastics for many reasons.
• Starch and cellulose are plant-based, renewable materials making bioplastics sustainable.
• Bioplastics are biodegradable since they are from biological material, unlike non-biodegradable oil-based plastics.
• Using bioplastics can potentially decrease the amount of plastic pollution.
• Cellulose-based plastics are made from wood pulp and used as food wrappers.
• Thermoplastic starch, a mixture of starch and other compounds, creates smooth, shiny plastics.
• In the pharmaceutical industry, it creates easy-to-swallow capsules.
• Polylactic acid (PLA) is produced from maize or sugar cane and has properties similar to polyethene.
• Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is made from sugar industry products used in ropes, banknotes, and car parts.
• Once no longer in use, bioplastics can be burned to avoid methane production during decomposition.
• Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide released during combustion.
• Burning bioplastics can generate electricity, producing more bioplastics.
• There are drawbacks of bioplastics, as they do not always have the same useful properties as oil-based plastics.
• Bioplastics are more expensive than oil-based plastics.
• Using limited food crops to produce plastics is controversial in some regions.

Roles of Water & Ions in Plants

• Plant cells perform various functions, and to perform these functions efficiently, plants require water and inorganic ions (minerals).
• Water and inorganic ions are absorbed through the root hairs on the root and travel up the stem in xylem vessels.
• Plants will show certain symptoms, such as yellow leaves or stunted growth, when deficient in water and minerals.

Water

• Water is an important component required for photosynthesis.
• Water provides a transport medium for minerals.
• It maintains turgidity in plant cells though pressure in cell vacuoles.
• Water regulates temperature to ensure enzymes function at their optimum rate.

Magnesium Ions

• Magnesium ions are require for the production of chlorophyll.
• Chlorophyll gives stems and leaves their green color and is essential for photosynthesis.

Nitrate Ions

• No DNA, proteins, and chlorophyll can be synthesized without nitrate ions.
• Nitrate ions are needed for enzymes, which are important proteins.
• Nitrate ions are essential for plant growth, as well as the productions of fruit and seeds.

Calcium Ions

• Calcium ions form cell wall components.
• Plants require calcium ions for proper growth.

Determining Tensile Strength of Plant Fibres

• The tensile strength of a fibre refers to the maximum load it can carry before breaking.
• Such information is important to know when determining the strength of a rope made of plant fibres.
• The following apparatus is used to determine the tensile strength of plant fibres.
  • Plant fibres
  • Retort stand (clamp stand)
  • Clamp
  • Weights
• Method to use
  • Attach the fibre to a clamp stand.
  • Attach a weight to the other end of the plant fibre.
  • Carefully continue to add one weight at a time until the fibre breaks.
  • Record the mass at which the fibre broke.
  • This represents the tensile strength.
  • Repeat this process with multiple samples of the same plant fibre to increase accuracy.
  • These values can be used to calculate the mean tensile strength for the fibre.
  • It is important to ensure that the fibres are all of the same length and that all other variables are kept constant.