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Bioplastic Experimental Trials
Prototype 1 - Cornstarch Bioplastics (11/12/20)
Goals:
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Get accustomed to how bioplastics are made
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Identify problems and improvements that can be made
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This specific recipe was taken from here.
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The trial was conducted using cornstarch instead of starch extracted from brewery waste. For the first attempt, the resulting bioplastic has been brittle to the point where a solid piece couldn't properly form. To fix this problem, additional glycerin was added to make the mixture more flexible and whole
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Ingredients:
Cornstarch 10 g
Water 60 ml
Vinegar 1 teaspoon
Glycerine (adjust as needed)
First attempt without Glycerine
Second attempt with 1 teaspoon of Glycerine
Prototype 2 [Trials 1&2] - Cornstarch and Spent Grain Mix (11/27/20)
Goals:
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From the previous trial, make bioplastics that are increased in their flexibility and sturdiness
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The result of the first trial came out as a fail. The bioplastic did not have sufficient amounts of starch to properly thicken. For the second trial, the red and yellow trials came out as both durable and flexible, but there is the need for research on the method for extracting starch.
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Trial 1
Materials to make Cornstarch based bioplastics
After ten minutes of cooking in medium heat
The bioplastic did not have sufficient amounts of starch to thicken properly
Trial 2
Thick Cornstarch mixture
Red food coloring added to distinct it with other trials
Set on parchment paper to dry for 24~48 hours
Attempt to extract starch from spent grain through boiling
This attempt failed as the spent grain burnt
Directly made into bioplastics
Three varieties of bioplastics
A drop of soap was added to the yellow trial, which seemed to make the bioplastic come out thinner.
Testing Durability and Flexibility
Both Red and Yellow trials were able to withstand a weight of 500g and were very flexible. The yellow trial, being thinner than the red trial, was able to be torn when force was applied, but the red trial held well.
Prototype 3 [Trials 1&2] - Bioplastics from Extracted Starch (12/01/20)
Goals:
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Try creating bioplastics from extracted starch from spent grains
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In the second type of bioplastics, we used starch that was extracted from spent grain instead of cornstarch.
The second trial was conducted with a much better improvement than the first - better toughness and resistance to weights.
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Starch extraction process using spent grains (approx 2 kg)
dissolve the starch in water for 15+ minutes -> separate grain from solution -> separate starch from solution with coffee filter
extracted starch
Making of Bioplastics with food coloring.
Ingredients
60 ml water, 10g spent grain starch, 1tsp glycerin, 1tsp vinegar, green food coloring
60 ml water, 5g spent grain starch, 5g cornstarch, 1 tsp glycerin, 1tsp vinegar, blue food coloring
Resulting in bioplastics after 48 hours of drying.
Prototype 4 - Drying In An Oven/Testing Efficiency (12/14/20)
Goals:
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Try a different recipe and method of finishing the bioplastic
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Test the results with the previous prototypes to see the efficiency
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In this prototype, we try mixing spent grain and cornstarch at a different ratio to get a general sense of how a bioplastic acts when mixing the two. The results show that out of the three trials, a 50:50 mix of the two starch yields the most durable bioplastic. Although there are many more ratios that are not tested due to the lack of time, we see that the homemade bioplastics are durable, withstanding up to 3kg of weight. This is approximately the weight of a pack of beer, which suggests that with a slight improvement to quality and research on molding, the bioplastics could be applied to real-life breweries.
Ingredients:
Water 60 ml
Spent Grain Starch 8g
Corn Starch 2g
Vinegar 1 teaspoon
Glycerine 1 teaspoon
Purple Food Coloring
Cook for 8 minutes in the pan
Mold the bioplastic and cook in the oven for 1 hour at 100 degrees Celcius
Comparing Results with Prototype 3
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