Making Milk into Plastic

Grade:

6

Teacher:

Norman Dejan

My project, “Making Milk into Plastic,” explores how milk can be transformed into a plastic-like material called casein plastic by using vinegar and heat. I chose this project because plastic pollution is a major environmental problem, and I wanted to learn if a natural material like milk could be turned into a safer, biodegradable alternative. In my experiment, I heated milk, added vinegar to separate the casein protein, and molded the solid material into small toys. The results showed that I successfully created milk plastic and formed four strong toys, proving that milk can be chemically changed into a moldable material. My overall conclusion is that mixing milk and vinegar creates casein plastic, which can be shaped and hardened. This project is important because it demonstrates how chemistry can help develop more environmentally friendly materials and shows a possible way to reduce plastic waste in the future.

Project presentation

Lab journal excerpts

Research paper