MOLINE- DeAnne Bloomberg, Manager of the Rock Island County Farm Bureau, will join us Wednesday, July 25, on Good Morning Quad Cities to show us how to make plastic out of your corn.
According to Ag in the Classroom,org, here's how you make it:
1. Place a tablespoon of cornstarch in a plastic zipper-seal bag.
2. Add 2 drops of corn oil to the cornstarch.
3. Add 1 ½ tablespoons of water to the oil and cornstarch. Seal the bag.
4. Mix the cornstarch, oil and water in the plastic bag by rubbing the outside of the bag with your fingers.
5. Add 2 drops of your favorite food coloring to the mixture and mix well. DO NOT completely seal the bag.
6. Place the bag in a microwave oven for 20-25 seconds on high. Be careful. It will be hot. What happens to your plastic? Form your plastic into a ball while it is still warm and describe what it does.
7. Record your scientific observations. What do you notice about your biodegradable plastic? Is your biodegradable plastic the same as your classmates’ plastic? What could you make with this biodegradable corn plastic if you let it harden? Remember, it will dissolve. Compare your biodegradable plastic with the plastic zipper-seal bag.