To find a material

5. RECEPTEN

5.1 Tools used

The tools needed to make these bioplastics are a pot, a spoon or fork, a stove, a measuring scale, a measuring cup, a blender, a mixer, a mold/sheet and the materials named in the recipes for the experiments.

5.2 Materials

The materials used in all the recipes are alginate, calcium chloride, corn starch, gelatine, glycerine, honey, potato starch, tapioca starch and water.

6. Alginate recipes

6.1 Alginate Foil

Tools Measuring scale Blender Glass plate Spray bottle

Ingredients 12g Alginate 30g glycerine 400g water 10g sunflower oil (used: olive oil) Spray bottle with calcium chloride

Method Mix the alginate, glycerine and oil together and slowly add the water while mixing to avoid lumps. Leave the mix overnight to take out air bubbles. Cast the mixture on glass with an approximate height of 3mm. Spray calcium chloride over the sheet once after casting and again after a few minutes. Leave the sheet to dry for a couple days.

Material properties

Flexibility

Hardness

Mold growing

Scratch resistant

Shrinkage

Smell

Stickiness

Strength

Touch

Water resistant

Weight

Fully flexible

Not hard

Will tear when scratched

High schrinkage in height

Very sticky to itself and other objects.

Easy tearable at the edges

Sticky, soft

Yes

Lightweight

Conclusion The alginate foil is strong against pulling forces and will not tear when bended. However it is also very fragile against tearing when in contact with a sharp object. In this form it is not usable for protection.

7. Corn starch recipes

7.1 Corn starch sheet

Tools Pot Spoon or fork Stove Measuring scale Mold/sheet

Ingredients 20g Corn starch 20g Glycerine 10g Vinegar 80g Water

Method Mix the corn starch, glycerine and vinegar together and let it swell for a few minutes. Pour the water in the mix and heat it to approx. 90 degrees (Celcius) for 5-10 minutes. Once the mixture has thickened, cast it into a mold or plaster it over a glass/acrylic plate. Let it dry for a few days before taking it out and when needed stick it down to prevent bending of the msterial. NOTE: when the material feels colder than the air temperature it means it's still drying.

Material properties

Flexibility

Hardness

Mold growing

Scratch resistant

Shrinkage

Smell

Stickiness

Strength

Touch

Water resistant

Weight

Flexible to an extent

Very hard

Scratch resistant to anything appart from sharp objects

20-40% in length/width

Strong smell

Strong to bending and pulling forces

Smooth and steady

Yes to cold water, will break down in warm water

Medium

NOTE 1 Adding less glycerine will give a less flexible variant

NOTE 2 When trying to make a thicker sheet this mixture will tear while drying. The material will still have the same properties.

Conclusion The corn starch recipe has almost all the qualities I'd want in a foam pinda, only it is not suitable for thicker pieces. It is also more heavy than prevered.

7.2 Corn Starch Foam

Tools Pot Spoon or fork Stove Whisk Measuring scale Mold/sheet

Ingredients 20g Corn starch 10g Glycerine 10g Vinegar 20g Soap 80g Water

Method Mix the corn starch, glycerine and vinegar together and let it swell for a few minutes. Pour the water in the mix and heat it to approx. 90 degrees (Celcius) for 5-10 minutes. Once the mixture has thickened, add the soap and whisk it for another couple minutes until it has formed bubbles. Cast it into a mold or plaster it over a glass/acrylic plate. Let it dry for a few days before taking it out and when needed stick it down to prevent bending of the material. NOTE: Unlike other starch recipes, this will not feel cold anymore after a couple hours.

Material properties

Flexibility

Hardness

Mold growing

Scratch resistant

Shrinkage

Smell

Stickiness

Strength

Touch

Water resistant

Weight

Fully flexible

Soft surface

Slightly scratch resistant

Approx. 10% shrinkage

Strong smell

Strong against pulling and bending

Soft, foam like

Yes to cold water, will break down in warm water

Medium/light

NOTE 01 This sheet has a small thickness, if you want to make a thicker sheet it is recommended to put the sheet in the freezer after casting. This will cool down the mixture more quickly and will prevent the lower layer from becoming set.

Conclusion This material is almost usable for foam pinda's, it's not thick enough and the weight is still a little too high. It is preverable for it's easy discard process, it will break down in warm water and go through the sink or you can throw it in the groenbak.

8. Gelatine

8.1 Gelatine foam

Tools Pot Spoon or fork Stove Whisk Measuring scale Mold/sheet

Ingredients 90ml Gelatine 30ml Glycerine 20ml Soap 120ml Water

Method Mix the gelatine and glycerine together and let it swell for a few minutes. Pour the water in the mix and heat it to approx. 90 degrees (Celcius) for 5-10 minutes. Once the mixture has thickened, add the soap and whisk it for another couple minutes until it has formed bubbles. Cast it into a mold or plaster it over a glass/acrylic plate. Let it dry for a few days before taking it out and when needed stick it down to prevent bending of the material.

Material properties

Flexibility

Hardness

Mold growing

Scratch resistant

Shrinkage

Smell

Stickiness

Strength

Touch

Water resistant

Weight

Very flexible

Medium hard

Not scratch resistant

Small shrinkage

Strong smell, will dissapear when fully dried

Strong against bending and pulling

Grainy and soft

Slightly

Meidum/light

NOTE 01 The material has a height of a couple mm's. The lower layer of the material has set back to it's properties before it was whisked. This can be prevented by storing the mixture in the freezer immediately after mixing or making a thinner sheet.

Conclusion The material properties of the top layer of the material are almost ideal. When executed better it might become perfect for a packing peanut.

8.2 No heat gelatine

Tools Bowl Mixer Measuring scale Mold/sheet

Ingredients 90ml Gelatine 30ml Glycerine 20ml Soap 120ml Water

Method Mix the gelatine and glycerine together and let it swell for a few minutes. Pour the water in the mixture and use a mixer for a few minutes. Stop once all the ingredients are completely mixed together. The mixture will turn into a grainy sticky material. The grains stick to each other but can be pulled apart.

Material properties

Flexibility

Hardness

Mold growing

Scratch resistant

Shrinkage

Smell

Stickiness

Strength

Touch

Water resistant

Weight

Very

Not hard

Will break apart

Slight smell

Very sticky, to itself and other surfaces

Not strong, will break apart with any force

Sticky and soft

The material is made from grains, water will go through it

Light

Further application

Shaping the material into small balls and heating them for 10 seconds in the microwave will make the material harder and less sticky to other surfaces.

Conclusion The material has the properties to protect an product but will also likely stick to the product. The material can be cleaned off of the product but that's not what you want a costumer to have to do. The heated version is still too unreliable to use.

8.3 Honey Gelatine Foam

Tools Pot Spoon or fork Stove Mixer Measuring scale Mold/sheet

Ingredients 100ml Gelatine 100ml Glycerine 50ml Honey +/- 5ml Soap 50ml Water

Method Mix the gelatine and water together and let it swell for a few minutes, and do the same to the honey and glycerine. Mix both mixtures together and heat it until the glyxerine has fully disolved. Add the soap to the mix and use a mixer for a few minutes. The mix is done when it starts to stick to the hooks of the mixer. Cast the mixture into a mold or glass plate and let it cool down in the freezer. Optional Honey does mold after a few days, to prevent this add +/- 5ml of an antibacterial to the mix.

Material properties

Flexibility

Hardness

Mold growing

Scratch resistant

Shrinkage

Smell

Stickiness

Strength

Touch

Water resistant

Weight

Fully flexible

Not hard; You can push dents into the material with your hands

Will tear when scratched with sharp objects

No shrinkage

Slight smell of honey and antibacterial ingredient

Slightly sticky

Withstands pulling and pressing

Soft, foam like and slightly sticky

Somewhat

Very light

NOTE 01 Once the material has been mixed, it can be heated again without losing any 'foamness' and be recasted.

Conclusion This material is near perfect for packing peanuts. The gelatine foam sticks slightly to each other and might leave open spaces in boxes when shuffled (if it keeps sticking to each other). Apart from this, the material is very light in weight and will bend when pressed. It can be disposed of by disolving it in warm water or disposing of it in the groenbak.

9. Potato starch recipes

9.1 potato starch sheet

Tools Pot Spoon or fork Stove Measuring scale Mold/sheet

Ingredients 20g Potato starch 20g Glycerine 10g Vinegar 80g Water

Method Mix the potato starch, glycerine and vinegar together and let it swell for a few minutes. Pour the water in the mix and heat it to approx. 90 degrees (Celcius) for 5-10 minutes. Once the mixture has thickened, cast it into a mold or plaster it over a glass/acrylic plate. Let it dry for a few days before taking it out and when needed stick it down to prevent bending of the msterial. NOTE: when the material feels colder than the air temperature it means it's still drying.

Material properties

Flexibility

Hardness

Mold growing

Scratch resistant

Shrinkage

Smell

Stickiness

Strength

Touch

Water resistant

Weight

Slightly flexible

Medium hard

Slightly scratch resistant due to the hard surface

20-40%

Slight smell

Medium strong

Smooth with a hard surface

Resistant to cold water

Medium

Conclusion This material is less flexible than the corn starch. It is too hard to use for packing peanuts and might scratch other products when used in transport.

9.2 Potato starch foam

Tools Pot Spoon or fork Stove Whisk Measuring scale Mold/sheet

Ingredients 20g Potato starch 10g Glycerine 10g Vinegar 20g Soap 80g Water

Method Mix the potato starch, glycerine and vinegar together and let it swell for a few minutes. Pour the water in the mix and heat it to approx. 90 degrees (Celcius) for 5-10 minutes. Once the mixture has thickened, add the soap and whisk it for another couple minutes until it has formed bubbles. Cast it into a mold or plaster it over a glass/acrylic plate. Let it dry for a few days before taking it out and when needed stick it down to prevent bending of the material. NOTE: Unlike other starch recipes, this will not feel cold anymore after a couple hours

Material properties

Flexibility

Hardness

Mold growing

Scratch resistant

Shrinkage

Smell

Stickiness

Strength

Touch

Water resistant

Weight

No, will break apart when bended

Slightly

No, will break apart

Shrinkage causing the sheet to form little pieces

Fragile

Light

Conclusion The material completely shrank and dryed into small pieces. This might be prevented by making a thicker layer. - Unfit for packing peanuts -

9.3 No heat potato starch

Tools Bowl Mixer Measuring scale Mold/sheet

Ingredients 20g Potato starch 10g Glycerine 10g Vinegar 20g Soap 80g Water

Method Mix the potato starch, glycerine, vinegar and soap together and let it swell for a few minutes. Pour the water in the mixture and use a mixer for a few minutes. Stop once the mixture has risen to a foam like mixture and put it into the freezer.

NOTE 01 The material is strong and foam like when it's still at a freezing temperature, however when it heats up it will become fluid again.

Further application When you let it dry for a couple days it will turn into a thick snow like powder.

Material properties

Flexibility

Hardness

Mold growing

Scratch resistant

Shrinkage

Smell

Stickiness

Strength

Touch

Water resistant

Weigh

Not flexible

Slightly hard

Slight smell

Strong while freezed

Hard foam like

Will dissolve in water

Very light

Conclusion Very much usable for a packing peanut on Antartica. In europes climate? Not so much.

10. Tapioca starch

10.1 Tapioca starch sheet

Tools Pot Spoon or fork Stove Measuring scale Mold/sheet

Ingredients 20g Tapioca starch 20g Glycerine 10g Vinegar 80g Water

Method Mix the tapioca starch, glycerine and vinegar together and let it swell for a few minutes. Pour the water in the mix and heat it to approx. 90 degrees (Celcius) for 5-10 minutes. Once the mixture has thickened, cast it into a mold or plaster it over a glass/acrylic plate. Let it dry for a few days before taking it out and when needed stick it down to prevent bending of the msterial. NOTE: when the material feels colder than the air temperature it means it's still drying.

Material properties

Flexibility

Hardness

Mold growing

Scratch resistant

Shrinkage

Smell

Stickiness

Strength

Touch

Water resistant

Weight

Slightly flexible

Very hard surface

Only very sharp objects can scratch the surface

20-40%

Slight smell

Very strong, especially in bended shapes

Hard surface with many bumps

Yes

Medium

Conclusion Tapioca is the most hard of all the starch recipes. It is not usable for packing peanuts because it might damage the products while in transport.