Course:VANT149/2025/Capstone/Science/Team25
Put Project Title Here
Exploring the Influence of Different pretreatment methods on the degradation of disposable Wooden Tableware.
Abstract
With the increasing focus on biodegradable products, understanding how pretreatment methods can accelerate the degradation of disposable wooden utensil in composting is crucial for sustainable waste management. This study aims to evaluate the influence of different pretreatment methods on the natural degradation rate of disposable wooden spoons. The study pre-treatment options (water immersion, lemon juice soaking, ultraviolet lamp irradiation), pre-treated the samples for two hours, and then placed them in homemade compost for degradation observation. The experimental results show that the weights of all samples show a downward trend over time. The lemon juice group has the most significant weight loss, followed by the ultraviolet group, and the water immersion group has the least weight loss.Morphologically, the samples in the lemon juice group showed mold and surface erosion, the color of the ultraviolet group darkened and cracks were caused, while the water immersion group only led to slight deformation and slight mold growth. It indicates that acidic pretreatment significantly improves the degradation efficiency by accelerating the decomposition of lignocellulose, while the effects of ultraviolet rays and water immersion are relatively weak.The value of the research results lies in providing empirical evidence for optimizing the pretreatment strategies of degradable disposable wooden utensils, and supporting the targeted formulation and optimization of waste management plans.
Biographies
Person 1
Yuxi Fan is a first-year student in the Science Vantage program at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on exploring the natural degradation rate of wooden spoons in different environments (water immersion, lemon juice immersion, UV light exposure). She is personally interested in this topic because she wants to delve deeper into sustainable development and green chemistry. Wooden products are generally considered more environmentally friendly materials, and studying the impact of different treatments on the degradation rate can better achieve the goal of sustainable development.
Person 2
Artman Darabeigi is a first-year student in the Science Vantage program at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on exploring the natural degradation rate of wooden spoons in different environments (water immersion, lemon juice immersion, UV light exposure). He is personally very interested in this research project. The reason is that he has a strong interest in chemical science. Studying the influence of different treatments on the degradation rate can better achieve the goal of sustainable development.
Person 3