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We already have plastics made from corn and sugar. Now, scientists have created a Styrofoam-like material using mostly milk proteins and clay.
Ultra-light and largely biodegradable, the plastic might some day become a green alternative to petroleum - derived foam packaging blocks, among other applications.
The research began with an accidental discovery in the lab. One of Schiraldi's students freeze-dried clay and got something intriguing enough to warrant a closer look. So, the team started mixing the clay with a variety of materials.
When they added a cow's milk protein called casein, they ended up with a super-light, fluffy, and foam-like material. With further experimentation, they hit on a recipe that worked well enough for publication in the journal Biomacromolecules.
The researchers start by throwing a scoop of clay and some water into a kitchen blender. Two minutes of mixing produces what Schiraldi's students call a clay smoothie.
Next, they add some casein powder, a dried version of the most common protein in milk. The final ingredient is a tiny amount of a glycerol-based material, which basically stiffens up the solution's chemical bonds.
After running the blender one last time, the scientists pour the dirty-looking water into molds and freeze them like ice-cubes. Then, they freeze-dry it get all the water out.
The result, Schiraldi said, is a material that has all the same properties of Styrofoam, but is 98 percent bio-based. At 100 degrees Celsius the milk-containing foam lets out a few drops of water. But it stays sturdy up to 200 degrees Celsius.
In tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, close to a third of the new material broke down after about 45 days in industrial compost conditions. That's a huge environmental leap beyond Styrofoam and other types of Expanded Polystyrene Foam, a category of materials that is often used as disposable packaging for electronics and other products.
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