Making Bioplastic

Question

Hello I am trying to create a bioplastic as a project for school. Part of this includes using a plasticizer to combine with the starch but I'm not sure what substance I can use to act as a plasticizer. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Hi Alyssa R.,

That choice might depend on what you are using to cross-link your starch, what additional physical treatments are to be done to the material, and how it is to be used. If you're going to implant it in living tissue, you don't want a toxic crosslinker -- borate is out! But if "bioplastic" just refers to where it comes from, then borate is good -- cheap and effective as a crosslinker. For plasticizer, assuming that this stuff is to be dried out, anything that is a strong humectant would be OK -- glycerin would be my first choice, or propylene glycol.

-- Cheers, -- Mr. d.