CHAPTER 1

Introduction

Background of the study:

Chalk is principally made out of calcium carbonate. It was originally made from
sedimentary rock. Today modern sidewalk/black board chalk is made of gypsum. Gypsum
or Calcium sulfate it is used in chalk because it is more common and easier to work with.
Eggshells can be made into chalk because according to research it is almost entirely made
out of calcium carbonate crystals. It is a semi-permeable which allows air and moisture to
pass through allowing it to be a possible alternative ingredient in chalk. Using eggshells in
it produces little to no dust. The bad effects of regular chalk is it produces a lot of dust,
which can cause irritation of eyes, skin, respiratory tract, mucous membrane, and digestive
tract. The potential chronic health concerns are lung and liver damage resulting from
exposure to calcium carbonate particles, Fine chalk particles can result to oxidative
damages in the alveolar macrophages and result in cytotoxicity. Studies have shown that
long and short term exposure to particle matter is connected with harmful heart effects
including cardiovascular chalk can help lessen wastage of eggshells and it is taking what
for us is trash and turning it in to something useful. It is also safe because based on
research “eggchalk” is non-toxic because compared to regular chalk mortality, chronic
inflammatory lung injury, and more. Therefore the potential health risk of chalk dust
cannot be overlooked. It is important to see the results because it can be a cheaper
alternative to commercial chalk and could be a healthier alternative. It also helps teachers
to save money and for them to prioritize on other materials since based on researchers
94% of U.S teachers buy their own materials. The researchers are interested in doing this
experiment because it helps in reducing wastage of eggshells, compared to regular chalk
the microns of eggshell chalk are 20 microns which can prevent powder scattering when
erased.
Objectives:

 To find out if eggshell chalk can be used as an alternative for commercial chalk.
 To compare the traits of eggshell chalk from commercial chalk.
 To determine the overall cost of eggshell chalk.
 To determine if making chalk out of eggshells will be a healthier alternative to
commercial chalk.

Hypothesis:

Null hypothesis (HO) = Making chalk out of eggshells won’t be a good substitute to
commercial chalk.

Alternative hypothesis (HA) = Making chalk out of eggshells will be a good substitute to
commercial chalk.

Scope and Limitation:

The researchers have decided to conduct an experiment wherein they use eggshells to make
chalk. The experiment will be taken place at DBS science laboratory. The experiment will
take about 10-15 minutes and 3 days to dry. They have chose to conduct the experiment to
see if eggshells would be a good substitute as a main ingredient in chalk and to try to find
better alternatives to ingredients to make it better and cheaper for us. In this experiment
the researchers will be using the following utensils: A bowl, Measuring spoons, and a
spoon.
Significance of the Study:

The researchers aim to find a less dust-emitting chalk alternative. By finding so, the risks
of chalk dust infecting a person and causing the aforementioned diseases that can kill. A
little amount of inhaled chalk dust is not considered harmful. However, individuals with
those chronic breathing issues such as asthma can trigger a reaction. Moreover, this study
will be beneficial to individuals such as teachers who constantly use chalk in schools today.
The researchers also aim to ensure individuals’ safety from exposure of chalk dust.
Moreover, this research will vastly contribute to lessen the direct exposure of chalk dust in
regards to the harmful effects of it.

Chapter 2:

Methodology:

3.1 The ingredients will be obtained from the researcher’s house San Juan city. The
experiment will take place at DBS Manila and will be tested at DBS Manila by some
DBS teachers.
3.2 The ingredients will be measured in a room temperature place then 1teaspoon of
flour and 1teaspoon (and a half if dry) of hot water will be mixed until it forms a
thick paste. Then a tablespoon of eggshells will be crushed until it forms a fine
powder. The crushed eggshells will be mixed into the paste until it thickens. If
desired 1-2 drops of food coloring will be added food coloring will be added to the
paste. The paste will be formed into a log shape with a diameter of a pen and a
length of 3 inches, It will be wrapped tightly in a piece of tissue paper and will be
stored in a cool dry place for 3 days to dry

3.3 The respondents will be 7 teachers of DBS Manila and the family members of the
researchers. The researcher’s will survey the Respondents on the ff: Clarity,
Brittleness, Excretion of dust, and comments.

References:
 Rob Sheridan. (Oct 19, 2009). Sidewalk Chalk and the Calcium Cycle. Earth
Science Picture of the Day.
 Chi-Chi Lin , Mei-Kuei Lee , Hsiao-Lin Huang. (2015). Effects of Chalk Use on
Dust Exposure and Classroom Air Quality. Aerosol and Air Quality Research.
 Ysabel Alameda, Johann Cruz, Kaycel Andrade, Destiny Pimentel, Jared Gonzales,
Marco Olivera and Cassandra Bantug. (July 27, 2017). Investigatory Project :
Chapter 1 – Eggshalk (Eggshells to Chalk). GRP1SCIENCEQUEENS.
 Ms. SelaAbela. (May 26, 2014). How to make chalk from eggshells! Homeschooling.
The Crafty Mom.
 Do it yourself “egg-chalk”
Investigatory project 8-BMRM
Chapter 4

Conclusion and Recommendations

In conclusion, it is possible to make USABLE chalk out of eggshells but based on our
results it still needs further research and experimentation. In order to get a chalk that is
comparable to commercial chalk. Based on the outcome, the researchers can conclude that
chalk is a healthier version of commercial chalk because of what our respondents have
said. It is also a cheaper alternative chalk since almost all of us have the materials in our
home already, given that it still needs trial and may not require trial and error. The
researchers can recommend that using brown, organic eggs worked the best compare to
white eggs. They can also recommend to grind the eggshells very finely. And pass it
through a very fine sieve several times in order to get it fine, to avoid it being brittle.
Another is to take out ALL the membrane when washing and leave it out in the sun for a
few hours so it can dry. Because if you grind them wet, the eggshells will stick together and
you will have a hard time to grind it to finer piece. While the researchers were testing they
found that the final product was a bit dry and when used it wasn’t very smooth. So they
can say that if you are going to make this instead of adding 1 and a half teaspoons of hot
water instead add 2 teaspoons, to make it closely feel and write like commercial chalk.