Prospección de uso del género Equisetum como producto biodegradable alternativo al uso de tubos plásticos de beber por succión (pitillos)

The vegetation is key for the conservation of biodiversity and the human wellbeing. It generates ecosystem services thanks to their functional traits (Binder, 2013). However, despite the importance of the functional traits of vegetation, many of these traits aren’t yet Known. For the case of the plants that give us provisional services and that also are used by artisan producers, there is a lack of information regarding the functions that they provide in the ecosystems, as well of other potential uses that they could eventually have (Garcia, 2007). With base on observations of the author, and reports in the literature about the potential use of the Equisetum genus as a straw (liquid suction tube for drinking), the potential of Equisetum giganteum was evaluated for developing straws in the municipality of Alban (Cundinamarca). The importance and pertinence of this study lies on the increasing environmental problem of plastics and microplastics residues, that pollute all the ecosystems and pose a threat for human health and welfare in a global scale. For these reasons, this problem requires an intense search for new and innovative alternatives that besides of being biodegradable, doesn’t have great environmental impacts during its manufacturing and that require low cost in their transformation. Thus, a methodological triangulation was the approach of this exploratory research, in were usability tests were developed, also surveys to the users of the biological straws were conducted, and some laboratories that included the following types of tests were carried out: global migration test, tension test, flexion test, compression test, suction test and biodegradation of plastic straws, paper straws and equisetum stems. These tests put in trial the resistance of the equisetum material to the forces to which they are subjected by the manipulation and suction when used as a straw, as well as its viability as a secure product for entering in contact with food stuffs, through the total quantification of the transferred residues from the equisetum materials to the drinks. In the last phase of the project, a product life cycle analysis was made for the equisetum stems used as straws, as well as with the conventional straws (paper and plastic) focusing on the post-consumer phase, for determining if this product could eventually have a minor environmental impact, in comparison with the actual state. Considering the results, it was evidenced that the surveyed users, expressed a high satisfaction when they utilize the biological straws for sucking up juices during the usability tests. Moreover, the global migration test determined that the migrating residues of the biological straw to the simulant of food stuff (ethanol 10%) maintains its levels between the accepted parameter of the norm NTC 5022 with a maximum migration of 3.3 mg/dm2. The result of the first physical test measured the variable of resistance to tension in the equisetum stems, which surpass the resistance to tension of the other types of straw evaluated (paper and plastic). Also, both the plastic and equisetum have a similar resistance to the compression (0.35 N/mm for a deformation of 20%) and the latter have a resistance to flexion of 0.21 Mpa as well as the paper straws, while the plastic straw could be bent with less effort (0.06 Mpa). As regards to the tests made using drinks of different viscosities for measuring the capacity of suction by the equisetum straws (suctions tests), it was observed that the equisetum has a bigger capacity of transporting liquids than the conventional straws when used on the pineapple juice, because of their particular biological phenotype (vascular system with carinal canals). Finally, when comparing the proportions that resulted from the biodegradation, it is observed that no significant changes, on the loss of mass caused by microorganism, happened on the plastic straws (from 100% - 99.62%) after the 4 weeks of monitoring. Instead, the proportions of final weight of the paper straw (from 100% to 74.97%) and of equisetum stems (from 100% to 54.31%) did show big differences. After carrying out the statistical analysis of each set of data and comparing the results obtained from the cited tests in each type of material, it is concluded that a potential of the Equisetum giganteum exist for being used as a drinking straw under the specific conditions of this study. For this reason, it is recommended for future studies, first, carrying out demographic studies about the effects that occur to the Equisetum giganteum plant when it is harvested. This with the purpose of proposing a harvest rate that guaranties the survival of the population of interest, and second, experimenting with diverse organic cultivation methods for the establishment of ex-situ populations that could by viable in cost-benefit terms.