WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2011 — The latest episode in the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) award-winning podcast series, “Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions,” focuses on development of a new ultra-light biodegradable foam plastic material made from two unlikely ingredients: The protein in milk and ordinary clay.
The material could be used in numerous products, researchers report in the ACS’ Biomacromolecules, a monthly journal. The finding comes amid ongoing concern about plastic waste accumulating in municipal landfills, and reliance on imported oil to make plastics.
David Schiraldi, Ph.D., of Case Western Reserve University, explains that 80 percent of the protein in cow milk is a substance called casein, which already is used in making adhesives and paper coatings. But casein is not very strong, and water can wash it away. To beef up casein, and boost its resistance to water, he and his team blended in a small amount of clay and a reactive molecule called glyceraldehyde, which links casein’s protein molecules together.
“We believe this new ‘green’ foam plastic can have a wide range of uses,” says Schiraldi. “For example, we can see it in furniture cushions, insulation, packaging and many other products. By replacing standard foam this could have an important impact on better protecting the environment from debris.”
This podcast is available without charge at iTunes and from ACS’ website at www.acs.org/globalchallenges.
Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions is a series of podcasts describing some of the 21st Century’s most daunting problems, and how cutting-edge research in chemistry matters in the quest for solutions. Global Challenges is the centerpiece in an alliance on sustainability between ACS and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Global Challenges is a sweeping panorama of global challenges includes dilemmas such as providing a hungry, thirsty world with ample supplies of safe food and clean water; developing alternatives to petroleum to fuel society; preserving the environment and assuring a sustainable future for our children; and improving human health.
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
