Peanuts That Pack Case Study

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“Peanuts that Pack” We were assigned to complete the Egg Drop Packing Peanut problem. We were given an egg and one of two types of containers and tasked with the job of protecting the egg from being dropped. After researching packing peanuts, we wanted to create a peanut that would be biodegradable and still protect the egg. To do this we used cornstarch peanuts which can naturally break down due to it being made from natural ingredients. With ingredients such as cornstarch, water, baking powder, baking soda and food dye available, we crafted our own peanut. The main reason we want to make a new biodegradable peanut is to find a new and sager alternative for the earth instead of polystyrene foam peanuts that do not degrade. If we can find a peanut that breaks down, isn't too expensive and protects the product then that would be great. Since peanuts only have one use, once they are done they need to be destroyed so they don't take up space in a landfill. Therefore we need biodegradable peanuts. The design of our peanut was made to be as durable as possible. The …show more content…

All of the materials used to make the peanut was around $2.38. With the container of cornstarch costing a grand total of $1.69 and the carton of baking soda costing $0.69. The egg that we were protecting in this experiment costed about 15 cents. With all of that put into place, the cost for shipping this package would be $4.99, considering the weight and size of the package. Making a grand total of $7.52 for materials and shipping. Despite the low cost, there was little to no degradation so far. Compared to the factory made, biodegradable white peanut that is almost completely gone by now, our peanut has failed in terms of biodegradability. However, after a longer period of time, the peanut may degrade. This peanut will most likely degrade after time due to its composition of cornstarch and baking soda, which are biodegradable

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