foam element made from baked gluten balls
foam result
the stamp printing as a method
for the reproducibility of the gluten balls
the XY plotter experimental setup
the XY plotter dropping coloured caustic soda onto
the gluten flour bed in predefined trough geometries
3D structure made
from 3D printed gluten
protein-based bubble wrap
foam moulded protein
bubble wrap made from gluten balls and casein film
GLUTA
Application potentials of gluten-based bioplastics
Gluten-based bioplastics have a wide range of applications, which has been proven with the help of diverse material experiments. In this way, foam-like structures and air cushions, gluten prints and composite materials could be produced. Due to the wide range of material properties such as high shock absorption and filling power as well as the detailed degree of impression, the results show a wide range of application possibilities for gluten-based bioplastics, for example for transportation or storage of sensitive goods of the food or electronics industry or as a replacement for conventional plastic in certain sanitary products. An industrial optimization of the individual work steps in the production of the bioplastic will improve material results and will widen the product portfolio.
| student: | Charlotte Bolinski & Amon Zänker |
| project: | full circle |
| year: | 2020/21 |
| examined bioplastic: | protein based bioplastics |
| material expert support: | Prof. Dr. Markus Pietzsch Dr. Matthias Jacob Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg |
full concept text
Gluten-based bioplastics have a wide range of applications, which has been proven with the help of diverse material experiments. In this way, foam-like structures and air cushions, gluten prints and composite materials could be produced. Due to the wide range of material properties such as high shock absorption and filling power as well as the detailed degree of impression, the results show a wide range of application possibilities for gluten-based bioplastics, for example for transportation or storage of sensitive goods of the food or electronics industry or as a replacement for conventional plastic in certain sanitary products.
The main ingredient of the bioplastic, gluten, is a waste product of the food industry and can be obtained in wheat starch production. The other basic ingredients sodium hydrogen carbonate and tartaric acid used during the material experiments as well as the additives glycerine and food coloring are by-products or waste products of the food industry. The additive ethanol can be obtained as a by-product of biodiesel production. All ingredients are currently used in the animal feed industry. If one delays this process, the ingredients can be kept in a value chain for longer and integrated into a sustainable cycle.
Therefore, a centralized manufacturer could combine the source flows and develop bioplastics that various customers can access in order to further process the materials for specific purposes. The products manufactured in this way can be integrated into existing logistics systems and offered in return systems in order to enable a recycling process within the manufacturer’s cycle. Recycling in the feed industry is also still possible after use.
An industrial optimization of the work steps in the production of the bioplastic will improve material results, applications and recyclability of the possible products. In addition to industrial production, integration into the DIY and maker community is also conceivable. Networked via an open-source platform with the help of recipes for the bioplastic and instructions for machine kits under a creative-commons license this also can expand the range of applications and sustainability.