Estimated Time: 60 minutes

Introduction

In this activity, you are going to make your own bioplastic! Individually or in pairs, you will follow the recipe below to make bioplastics. Ultimately, you will use these sheets of bioplastic to creat alternatives to single-use plastics, but at the stage, you should only focus on experimentation with this innovative material. We encourage you to play with color and texture. Pro-tip: Make extra sheets of bioplastic so you can have enough to make projects with (even if some of the outcomes aren't successful). 

Note: This recipe requires roughly 24 hours to complete because the bioplastic needs an extended drying time. Please plan accordingly!

Instructions

Take at least three pictures of your bioplastic making progress. You’ll be sharing these at the end of the challenge.  

Basic Gelatin Bioplastic Recipe

Supplies needed: 

Digital thermometer, access to a gas or electric cooking hob (or hot plate), non-reactive mixing pot (stainless steel or glass), mixing spoons, whisk, weighing scales, something to pour onto (such as a non-stick baking pan, glass casserole dish, or silicone baking mat). 

Ingredients: 

240ml water

48g gelatin

31g glycerine

Food coloring 

Straws (for blowing bubbles into the bioplastic)

Nonstick surface

Other decorating materials, such as glitter (optional)

Tools: hot plates and pans

Directions: (please read through all of the steps before getting started!) 

1. Add the gelatin and water to your mixing pot. 
2. Thoroughly mix the gelatin and the water until you get a consistent paste. Avoid chunks of dry material.
3. Then slowly heat the mixture till it becomes runny. 
4. Now slowly mix in the glycerine. 
5. Mix the solution continuously to keep the mixture from burning. You may add food coloring at this point if you want! 
6. Continue stirring until the mixture begins to bubble (up to 95°C) then remove from heat and pour! 
7. Pour a thick layer onto a non-stick surface. (You may add other decorative materials at this stage and try to blow bubbles into the mixture ... let it cool a bit to not melt the straw). 
8. Wait for 24 hrs for the material to set. Plan on longer. When the plastic is dry, it will pull away more easily from the surface you poured it onto. (Caution! The material is very hot! Be cautious when mixing and pouring to avoid burns or even melting materials that are not made to withstand high temperatures.)

Deliverable

In the Responses tab above, add photographs of your Bioplastic making process. Add a few sentences to your post about something you did (or would like to do) to experiment with the bio-material.