We think that the styrofoam cup will keep a warm drink warmer for longer because it is generally is thicker than both the plastic and paper cups. The paper cup also is biodegradable which might make the cup bend if the hot drink has extreme temperature. Most of the time paper cups also have a wax coating that could help keep the drink heated for longer. As well with plastic cups have a really low melting point. We also think the styrofoam cup will keep the hot drink warm for longer because the particles of a styrofoam cup are more spread apart.

Background Information (Paper Cups

Paper comes from cellulose fibres which are removed from the ground and then taken to pulp mills to be mixed with water and different solutions and placed  onto drying mats to be flattened and cut into sheets and rolls. For this process to happen they must remove three components such as bark, fiber and lignin. This is then because of “brute force” this causes a grey yellow colour to appear on the paper.  Paper as we all know it comes from trees these include Spruce, Fir, Pine, Larch, Hemlock, Eucalyptus, Aspen and Birch. Paper is usually viewed in a good sense of light. The advantages of paper are that it is biodegradable and can break down quickly when exposed to different bacterias, yeast and other organisms. Paper is also one of easiest materials to recycle. It’s also better for environment to create paper it only produces one percent of the world's greenhouse gases. Many also say when managed properly this can help to capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide. Paper is also reusable because it has a small environmental impact and can be repulped 5-7 times to make new products. Paper is also versatile so it can be combined with other materials to be considered aesthetic ex. Cardboard. Even with all these pros there are many cons these include it cannot be easily edited, expensive to produce, storage is needed and many trees are destroyed in the process of creating paper.

Background Information (Plastic Cups)

Plastic cups are formed from a process called injection molding it is when different liquids are poured into a mold and then cured. These liquids include raw materials such as oil, natural plants and gas. They are then refined into either ethane or propane to go through the process called cracking. After this you now have ethylene and propylene which can be mixed with different polymers To create plastic. There is many different types of plastic which include PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP and PS. Plastic can be viewed in a negative perspective especially because of its effect on the environment. Some advantages of plastic are that it is very versatile it can be used for food packaging, appliances, aerospace, construction, healthcare, marine, energy generation, automotive and smart systems . Plastic is also very longevity and durable It is resistant to water and many chemicals. Besides these advantages companies tend to use plastic since it is cheaper in production cost it also has a better aesthetic appeal. There are also many disadvantages of plastic these include plastic comes from non renewable resources which can shoot fossil fuel prices up in the future. It also causes almost 80% of the worlds ocean pollution which harms marine life causing many cases close to extinction. Plastic can also not always be reused without energy which in most scenarios it will end up in landfills. Plastic also takes a very long time to decompose which can take a toll on the earth's environment.

Background Research (Styrofoam Cups)

Styrofoam is made from styrene. It is made through a process called polymerization which is when styrene is purified into polystyrene and then mixed with hydrofluorocarbon. This mixture then expands under pressure to create foam board. This process uses raw materials that usually include butane and pentane. Styrofoam is one of the worlds most used materials. Some disadvantages of styrofoam are that styrofoam is capable of leaching its chemicals into your food which is very dangerous. Chemicals such as benzene and styrene can contaminate your food no matter if it's dry or cold. Styrofoam is also toxic to produce according in the USA. Something frightening to take into consideration when you are buying styrofoam is that even with the touch of styrofoam it can leach into your skin and contaminate the air. Styrofoam also has a huge impact on hearts ecosystem. Styrofoam also has the ability to deplete the earth's ozone layer! The chemicals used to produce styrofoam are strong enough to get in between gases protecting us from the suns cancer causing rays. Most waste we create will end up in a landfill far from human kind. However even in landfills styrene can spill or leach into water networking systems and affect the water we drink. This can cause many problems such as kidney and liver failure. Away from the disadvantages some advantages of styrofoam are that it is very versatile and lightweight. Styrofoam is also reusable in many ways. 

Controlled 

• Used the same temperature of water
• Used the same brand of cups ( No. Name )
• Tested the same amount of times ( 3 times ) 

Manipulated

• The type of cup used in each experiment 

Responding

• The temperature in the cup at the end of the time limit

• Find a safe enivroment for your workplace
• Gather all your materials together
• To start off fill your cup (any material) with one cup of water at 125°F. ( 51.667°C )
• Place the cup on any flat surface and check if the temperature is stable at 125°F.
• Have a timer for 10 minutes ready.
• Once you place your thermometer in the cup of water immediately start the clock. 
• Once the timer is off if you have a pause on your thermometer hit that button, record the temperature shown. 
• Observe the trial 
• Repeat this procedure 3 times each with 3 types of materials 

Data/ Observations

At the end we concluded that the styrofoam cup kept the warm drink the warmest. We think this happened because of the thickness of the cup and how compact the particles are in the cup. This makes them better insulators because heat energy won’t be able to flow through them as smoothly. All of the experiments for styrofoam cup had quite a bit of steam coming out of the cup. We also noticed clusters of bubbles at the bottom of the cup. On the flip side the type of cup that kept the warm drink the coolest was the plastic cup. We think this because thermal energy is needed to be transferred by vibrating molecules colliding with each other. The plastic cup was also very thin and doesn’t have any wax coating or other material to help insulate it like the paper cup. We observed that the plastic had a cool touch at the end of the experiment. The cup was also quite flimsy. For the paper cup there was a wax coating which we think played a big part in it keeping the drink warm. Aswell for the paper cup we could tell that there was consistent steam coming out of the cup. The degree points were also going down every 3-5 seconds. 

Result

For the paper cup the first trial the temperature landed at 110.8°F. The second round for paper cup the temperature was 109.7°F and for the last trial it was 104.4°F. The plastic cup temperature landed on 101.1°F for the first trial . The second trial the temperature of the plastic cup was 104.4°F. The last trial of the plastic cup the temperature was 98.9°. The styrofoam cups first trials temperature landed on 114.6°F while the second trial was 113.9°F. The last trial for styrofoam cup was 115.5°F. 

With all the information stated we can conclude that the styrofoam cup kept the warm drink the warmest out of the three different types of cups we tested. The cup that wasn’t able to keep the hot drink warm was the plastic cup. We think this is because the styrofoam cup is thicker and the particles are more spread out. We think the plastic cup wasn’t able to do its job to the fullest because it had no insulation. 

Applications/Recommendations 

We chose this project because its testing what type of cup between paper, plastic and styrofoam is the most convenient to keep your hot drink warmer for longer. This experiment is useful to people who take warm drinks such as coffee on the go ex. to work. After going through this experiment people will learn which cup is best for their warm drinks. 

Ways to improve on this project:

Ways we could've made this project better was to test more types of cups and test them for a longer time period because we feel that 10 minutes might have not been enough because some people may take longer to finish their hot drink.

An error that we encountered while expiermenting was that our digital cooking theremometer didn't work the first time we did it so, we had to order a new one and do our expierment another day. 

• https://www.caseyprinting.com/blog/how-is-paper-made#:~:text=Paper%20is%20made%20in%20two,cut%20into%20sheets%20and%20rolls.
• https://www.explainthatstuff.com/papermaking.htm
• https://www.greenamerica.org/save-trees/why-recycled-paper
• https://thisisplastics.com/plastics-101/how-are-plastics-made/#:~:text=Plastics%20are%20made%20from%20raw,refined%20into%20ethane%20and%20propane.&text=Ethane%20and%20propane%20are%20then,them%20into%20ethylene%20and%20propylene.&text=These%20materials%0are%20combined%20together%20to%20create%20different%20polymers.
• https://plasticseurope.org/plastics-explained/how-plastics-are-made/
• https://www.bpf.co.uk/plastipedia/how-is-plastic-made.aspx
• https://goscanstrong.com/2020/06/17/the-disadvantages-of-paper-based-processes/
• https://www.smartsolve.com/news/paper-packaging-advantages-disadvantages
• https://goscanstrong.com/2020/06/17/the-disadvantages-of-paper-based-processes/
• https://greengarageblog.org/17-biggest-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-plastics
• https://greendiningalliance.org/2015/10/8-reasons-to-ban-styro-foam/
• https://www.colliercountyfl.gov/
• https://sciencing.com/pros-cons-of-styrofoam-12079533.html
• https://cehn.org/our-work/eco-healthy-child-care/ehcc-faqs/faqs-styrofoam/#:~:text=Chronic%20exposure%20results%20in%20more,such%20as%20styrene%20and%20benzene.
• https://www.aplustopper.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-plastic/
• https://byjus.com/chemistry/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-plastic/

We would like to express our gratitude to our teacher Madhavi Kale who has supported us throughout this whole science fair project. We would also ike to say thank you to Anmol Rai, who supervised us when we were dealing with hot liquids. We also would like to thank Jane Lizotte for giving advice.