Researchers improving plastics made from corn and soy proteins

David Grewell picked up the little plastic model of a molecule he keeps in his office. He scrunched the model's folding pieces into a ball. That's about the shape of a soy or corn protein, said Grewell, an Iowa State University assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering. Then he unfolded the model into a long, straight loop. That's what happens when researchers add some glycerin – a byproduct of biodiesel production – and some water to the molecule. And that's how biorenewable, biodegradable plastics can be made from the proteins in Iowa crops.

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<p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news81440024.html">Researchers improving plastics made from corn and soy proteins</a></p> <p>David Grewell picked up the little plastic model of a molecule he keeps in his office. He scrunched the model's folding pieces into a ball. That's about the shape of a soy or corn protein, said Grewell, an Iowa State University assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering. Then he unfolded the model into a long, straight loop. That's what happens when researchers add some glycerin – a byproduct of biodiesel production – and some water to the molecule. And that's how biorenewable, biodegradable plastics can be made from the proteins in Iowa crops.</p>