HIBLA: Engineering a Biodegradable Fishing Line from Indigenous Filipino and Mexican Native Fibers

Grade:

12

Teacher:

Alfred Santos

Over 740,000 kilometers of synthetic fishing line are lost in the ocean annually, breaking down into microplastics that remain for centuries. These discarded lines kill over 100,000 marine animals each year through entanglement and ingestion. To address this problem, this study investigated the engineering of a biodegradable fishing line using pinya, banana, and agave fibers. This project was done using the following methods: First, prepare the fibers by cleaning them in 5% NaOH and rinsing them in 0.5% acetic acid. After drying, comb and intertwine the fibers to replicate yarn, then crochet into fishing lines. Second, coat the fishing lines with chitosan and candelilla wax. Let it bake for 24 hours. Third, prepare the ninhydrin reagent and store it in an amber bottle at 4°C. To test the tensile strength, tie the fishing line to a pipe, attach a container to the other end, and fill it with water until the line breaks. Record the breaking mass. To test the biodegradation, place 0.68g of coated and uncoated fishing lines in a freshwater simulant. Measure degradation weekly using calibration tests: Ninhydrin assay (570nm), Benedict assay (740nm), and wax turbidity (600nm). The results showed that among the fibers tested, the banana fishing line showed the best balance between tensile strength and biodegradability, exhibiting the highest biodegradation activity while maintaining functional strength. With coating optimization, it shows strong potential as a sustainable alternative for biodegradable fishing lines. This research presents an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic fishing lines using natural fibers.

Project presentation

Research paper