Materials · Sustainable Materials
Bioplastic Formulation and Testing
Beginner 4 weeks 15-20 hours
Make bioplastic films from starch, gelatin, and agar with different glycerin amounts, then test strength, flexibility, and biodegradation.
Major
Materials
Focus area
Sustainable Materials
Total hours
15-20 hours
What you'll need
- food grade vegetable glycerin
- agar agar powder
- unflavored gelatin powder
- silicone baking mat
- digital precision pocket scale 0.01g
- digital hanging luggage scale
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Steps
- Pick 3 base materials and 3 glycerin levels to test.
- Cook each recipe, pour it on the silicone mat, and let it dry.
- Cut matching test strips and measure their thickness.
- Test strength with the luggage scale, flexibility with a bend test, and water absorption by soaking and weighing.
- Bury samples in soil and photograph them weekly to track biodegradation.
- Compare recipes and document the results for your portfolio.
What to photograph for your portfolio
- Film samples by recipe
- flex test
- water absorption test
- biodegradation over time photos
Resume bullet starters
Copy one, then swap in your own numbers.
Formulated [X] bioplastic recipes and tested tensile strength, flexibility, and water absorption
Tracked biodegradation over [X] weeks and identified the best recipe for [use case]
Quantified results with [insert your result, such as hardness change, strength, efficiency, or error vs published values] and summarized findings in a technical report
Skills you'll show off
Polymer formulationmaterials testingsustainabilitydesign of experimentsdata analysis