How To Make A Seaweed Bioplastic - The Basics

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[@3dmaker699]

Interesting to see how well this prints in my 3 D printer. I have a filament making machine so I'll try this out.

[@joohop]

STOP THE MADNESS And Start The Greatness Blessings Earthling

[@jagardina]

I just added a similar comment but don't have a filament making machine. Could be an interesting follow up video.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

go for it mate - but this is a basic form - you will want to add a bit of glycerol

[@Scott_C]

Please make a short video and post back here when you do. I'd love to see how it will work. :)

[@ondkami]

We are all here to learn, would be great to see your findings!

[@ranmad415]

You are a freaking genius for posting this for others, like me, to enjoy and learn from. Thank you Robert! Enjoy the day!!!!

[@pressurechangerecord]

Loving this channel. Discovering things I’d never thought I could access!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@amelietilley5540]

I have been avidly making seaweed bioplastic after I saw your video. I have since made a dissolvable dress made of it for a sustainable fashion project. I’d be really interested to learn where you got the original ideas for this recipe from and if there are any tips you could share with me!

[@ondkami]

Amelie this is a great idea, can you share more or do you have any link where we could see your project?

[@cimafghana2138]

Yes, I saw your video. There am from ghana 🇬🇭

[@titter3648]

It being a thermoplastic makes this really useful.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

it does indeed

[@gszikra]

I, as a wannabe seaweed farmer, thank you for this video. I wanna run my own chemistry research lab too.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Best of luck!

[@Ludifant]

How does one farm seaweed? Do you buy a bit of ocean? Or is it just having a boat? If so, is there any regulations to worry about? I have been looking around and there isn´t really a lot of useful information about all that, I´d be very interested if you´d care to share your experiences. I´d follow that channel :)

[@ondkami]

@@Ludifant i think there are no regulations as such yet as it is regarded as such a problem at the moment? might be in the future though once more people realize this huge potential; if you have good sources for further research/ use, i m also very interested thank you!

[@stephenmushin]

Hi there Robert, this is brilliant - thank you so much. My only question is this: isn't this a corn-starch plastic? After all, it's 50g seaweed vs 250 g corn starch. I'm curious as what exactly the seaweed does in this mix? Is it a binder, or a plasticiser? Thank you in advance and keep up the great work.

[@nickhadziannis8451]

Totaly on your wave length I suggested adding hemp fibres the pla soup mix for plastic forks to make them heat tolerant... I was inspired by operation piecrete (the floating sawdust ice armour boat ) You geniuse. . . . Crack on

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

nice one mate - thanks for the heads up

[@onemansjunk01]

Im a driver for a tiffin sandwich and we're the first and only company in the UK to you this in are packaging making it 100% recyclable 👍🏼

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

that is awesome to hear mate

[@vladimirshiryaev2563]

Great material for 3D printers...

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

for sure

[@jamienewman1488]

Could you imagine making your prints edible!

[@sfcar]

this upload frequency is wild

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol

[@CHOEYGMUSIC]

This was so awesome - thanks! Happy to have found your channel, many great videos!:)

[@aga5897]

Inspiring as always !

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@nickhadziannis8451]

so glad these videos exist, the Bobb Ross of Science

[@Thebigmanmetaldetecting]

You could pop it between to sheets of grease proof paper and use an old clothes ringer(or as we in Glasgow call it a" old mangle) that would give you a more even spread to make your sheets

[@Barskor1]

Or a rolling pin with tape strips on each end to dictate the thickness.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

for sure mate - that would work well

[@Scott_C]

OMG... this might be a revolution in 3d printing.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

it could certainly be interesting

[@HeyItsXRay]

Thank you for this! I’m so excited to see where this gets us

[@aCalmHinduCow]

I encourage everyone who enjoys this channel to become a paid member to support this real life "MacGuiver."

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate and thanks for taking the time to post and say that

[@chrispwilliams6297]

Could this be made into a 3D printer Filament?

[@ssetsa]

I absolutely love this video! It does such a good job illustrating the simplicity of the matter.

[@carlospinheirotorres9499]

I reckon that it might have the potential to be at (least a vehicle) rolled up as hot glue sticks, maybe adding some adhesives or resins if needed.

[@kevinpersinger7957]

Can you do a follow-up video, please?Does this bioplastic dissolve in water or other liquids? How strong is it if it's thicker? How can it be made to be more durable?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I am doing

[@flynnwilliams6110]

Hi Rob , Love the videos. I was just wondering if you could try to make a seaweed bio-foam similar to the properties of polyurethane? I've been trying but finding it tricky to come with substantial results. Would be great to see what you could come up with. Cheers

[@isaac4858]

thankyou rob! this will help me with my Final Major Project.

[@dgpreston5593]

Just what I needed today....

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

awesome

[@richardsandwell2285]

What a fascinating video.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@user-akbal10]

Thank you!❤

[@colleenforrest7936]

Not a lot of sea weed around here, but I do have cut grass. Will have to see how that holds up in the mix. Grass clippings to PLA... That would be amazing... Amazinger, because this is amazing. I have some silicon molds for soap making lying around. Will see how the mix sets up in them. Play with different layer heights to see how it dries. Maybe see if it will release from a 3D PLA printed mold. Would greasing the mold help it release? May be better to cast a silicon mold from the 3D printed mold, then cast this stuff in the silicon mold... So many questions... This will keep me buzy

[@michaeltucker8645]

I was thinking the exact same think as matter of fact I was gonna cut the grass tom morning guest I'm raking it too. Wonder what the ratio is gonna be on like 50 pounds of fresh grass to corn starch. I also have some helix nano rebar material and hemp cotton and fiber glass

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

you can just order seaweed online you know and it is sold in garden shops as mulch - you ideas of a parting agent or silicon moles are awesome

[@colleenforrest7936]

@@ThinkingandTinkering Does the seaweed have musceligennic properties that partner with the cornstarch to make the plastic form? No slime in grass. If slime is the magic ingreedent, I'm growing okra in the garden. Will have to try a batch with okra leaves too :) Seaweed is salty, too. A non-seaweed batch may need a little salt thrown in as well. Or maybe less salt is a good thing?

[@stevetobias4890]

Very interesting video. I see many have commented on using it as a filament for printing. This is a great idea because a lot of messed up priting goes to waste. I wonder also about the strength of it and maybe if it can be made for auto parts.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

there is work to do on it mate and work is being done so have a read around first. It's good people are thinking and of course 3d printing comes to mind but it would probably make more of a difference is we looked at things like disposable spoons, forks,knives,cups etc

[@stevetobias4890]

@@ThinkingandTinkering agree wholeheartedly because that is where a lot of throw away plastics come from. Would be great to see them easily biodegradable.

[@Graham_Wideman]

For 3D printing, we need to know how to convert wasted plastic into seaweed!

[@stevetobias4890]

@@Graham_Wideman lmao

[@derhans2619]

Excellent video my friend. Very informative. I've been wanting to do this at home and now I will. Many questions to ask.

[@fritanke2318]

Considering nori sheets (sushi wrapping) goes for £200 pr kg, there is a business lurking around here. Nice educational video as usual. Thanks.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

yes there is mate

[@filipmalke2591]

This is fantastic! Very inspirational. Thank you

[@wayne1959]

i think i can see some lathe material coming up..Thanks very much for this.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

You bet

[@doctorolo]

I just can't believe it's that easy! For clarification can any type of seaweed be used?

[@Barskor1]

Any common brown seaweed will do.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I don't know mate - most of the research uses common brown seaweeds - but it is worth reading around and seeing

[@romualdaskuzborskis]

Ok, here is the idea from what I have seen from your other video with hemp plastic - it contracts and in line with your channel what I thought of is - battery enclosure. You leave it wet, take your carbon batteries, stuff them in, wait until everything is dry and voila - all carbon battery with all carbon enclosure. That is pretty much safe (depending on electrolyte) to recycle in to a battery by blending it :D

[@antoinenouet6062]

Great video! I’m doing a big uni project on bio plastics. I was wondering if you had the chemical equation. Anyways I learned a lot.

[@aeh8446]

Of course, wonderful as always!!! Find myself wondering about the biodegradability of the plastic???

[@philipvernejules9926]

......perhaps even too biodegradable . It will certainly be prone to bacterial breakdown .Measures however such as suitable paint could be adequate .

[@aeh8446]

@@philipvernejules9926 yes, I should have stated DEGREE of biodegradability...

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

in this form very degradable - in fact you would have to add something to stop that - but that's easy enough

[@Barskor1]

@@ThinkingandTinkering A chemical time lock essentially when it runs out it decomposes?

[@Ludifant]

How about small metal capsules releasing enzymes directly into the material to help with digestion? Rusting can take years. Producing those might be a bit of a problem, but you might use metal coatings of soft bioplastic capsules. Like those garlic pills..

[@twoartistic]

What makes seaweed the workable element? Is there a land based plant alternative?

[@serta5727]

So awesome!!!!!! I am thinking becoming a paying member

[@nickhadziannis8451]

You should support the quest for knowledge for a near snippet at 4.99 a month... you know I would have wasted a fortune buying all the bits i potentialy needed to do the exploration and inquary work stripping down junk rather than just the end build builds(knowing what to find inside stuff).... as far as I'm concerned i have opensource outsourced a proportion of my R&D... and its costing me a fraction of buying into or supporting the work privately. It better than wikipedia *who I should also gove money too

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I would certainly appreciate it mate

[@wayne6220]

Wow. That is amazing. Quick question is it water proof? E.g. if it was made into a container?

[@besenyeim]

I'd guess not. But I bet, with the right additives, it is manageable. Just like brittleness, strength, plasticity, rate of degradation, etc. Finding the right recipes is the hard work.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

no mate - in this version - which is just the basic recipe it's not waterproof

[@Ludifant]

As I understand it, this is usually a question of what is at the end of polymers. So chemical additives. But that is a way of thinking that got us in the problems with plastics in the first place.. You could also go the other route and use shellac to seal things or tree resin. Both materials are quite abundant and completely natural and renewable. (Shellac is bug excretion, amazing..) I have been looking at bushcraft videos that show how incredibly easy it is, to get birch resin and spruce resin in a useful form. You should check those out. This stuff can be used for structural integrity and by adding a shell you´d make it waterproof. I am thinking of using a burlap base and rubbing it with this stuff as a fabric hardener. And then painting the outside with shellac dissolved in alcohol to make a very cheap and easy and especially free-form shelter in the woods. Like a permanent tent. Burlap is quite cheap where I live, because of potatoe farming.

[@danc.5509]

Thank you so much

[@btryba]

Hi Robert. Love these videos. With your chemistry background and love for bioplastics, have you ever made celluloid? From my understanding you take flash cotton (gun cotton), which there are videos on youtube how to make that. You added denatured alcohol as a solvent to the cotton. Once it has rehardened you make it a powder and add powdered camphor. Lastly, you take a heated press like you used for your other bioplastics and you have a block of celluloid. For it being the first plastic invented it seems like there is a lack of material on it's manufacturing process. However, with you being a chemist I was wondering if you have ever experimented with it.

[@Barskor1]

They used to make billiard balls out of it one small problem they would explode occasionally.

[@btryba]

@@Barskor1 Haha, yes indeed. Overtime camphor will also work out of the matrix and make them susceptible for igniting. But, can you really blame a bioplastic for wanting to go out in a "blaze of glory"?

[@Barskor1]

@@btryba Nope :)

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

no I am afraid not mate though I am aware of the process

[@SimonHume81]

Thank you for posting the video, I watched the 2nd video 1st by accident :) That shrinkage might be an issue for my resin desk idea but still LOTS of useful applications!

[@SideshowBen206]

🤯 I live on the Salish Sea in Washington State. I can't wait to see what our various local macroalgae can produce.

[@breezer1788]

Thank you sir.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Most welcome

[@davidstelmack6899]

I'm considering using this form of bio-plastic to make organic slow release fertilizer pellets. Perhaps if this bio-plastic was powderized, the powder could be mixed with dry organic nutrients such as blood / bone meal. The mix could then be heated and extruded through an appropriate mechanism to form pellets. At first I wanted to make nutrient pellets, then coat them with something like a bio-plastic to make them slow release. This is what I've seen done for slow release synthetic fertilizers. I couldn't come up with a way to use a bio-plastic such as this and apply a coating with a uniform thickness from pellet to pellet. The thickness determines the release rate, so consistent thickness would be pretty important if I were to try and coat pellets with something like this. By mixing the bio-polymer with the nutrient powders and forming the whole lot into pellets, it does away with the coating thickness issue all together. I think it gives a great solution to the problem, and I'm pretty sure it will provide a consistent release rate which can be adjusted by changing the ratio between the amount of nutrients and the amount of bio-polymer. More bio-polymer should make for a slower release, and faster with less. If anyone wants to try this, be sure to rinse off any salt from the seaweed beforehand. Seaweed tends to come with a lot of salt on / in it because it grows in the ocean, which is salt water. If you don't already know, salt isn't very good for most plants! Any thoughts on this idea Rob?

[@upatree2660]

What do you think about using nettles instead of seaweed, as a fiber content I think strong, as the bases of of the polymer I don't know, seaweed is difficult to get, stuck in the middle of Germany, I made rope from nettles brambles very strong, how water proof is this polymer long term? Thanks for great stuff you do, you give me info I have been wishing for, that I can understand, get me home sick for UK.

[@codeaccount2434]

awesome as always

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@dysklexia]

Living on the prairies, I wonder if another plant would work? Quick! To the Gofer Lab!

[@technosaurus3805]

They used to use hemp, but the war on drugs forced a shift to wood pulp. I think they called it "paper" and fiberboard. ... not a thermoplastic, but easily recycled

[@dysklexia]

@@technosaurus3805 I live in Canada, so hemp is a lot easier to get. thank you. It now gives me a starting point.

[@philipvernejules9926]

@@technosaurus3805 ......hemp fibre was crucial in the days of sailing ships and was a strategic resource . There does exist the non active hemp plant among the various types .

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

they use seaweed as a mulch mate - you could probably get kilos in a farm store

[@chorse9535]

@@ThinkingandTinkering Yes I always get seaweed for the garden. But then I'm only a mile from the shore.

[@sheldontraviss839]

Would try this with cattail starch? The possiblibly usefull whimsy of making plastic from %100 foraged materials gave me a bit of a giggle.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

do it mate lol

[@zanshin720]

LEGEND!!!! You rock Robert!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - cheers mate

[@VorpalForceField]

can also add gelatine to it as well

[@Barskor1]

Interesting

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@phoebesanders1508]

Hi, I am wondering if this bioplastic will be brittle enough to hold a structure such as a wine glass shape. Is it water soluble or could i use it as a drinking vessel? Thank you!

[@butternmayo]

this is like what Henry ford was making the car panels with in 1930 more or less, hemp bio plastic that didn't corrode and were semi-flexible body panels, durable and strong.

[@user-tw4in4gu6p]

great video! what can you do to treat the shrinkage from the sides if needs to cover a certain area? also, what would you do to prevent spoilage of the wrap itself if used as food packaging (maybe even more relevant for casein film)?

[@user-wt9ow4se9e]

Brilliant, thank you so much for this video

[@dans-designs]

This is great, a little slow to the party on this one but if that BioPlastic can be injection moulded, it could be made into 3D printer filament and potentially extruded on an FDM 3D printer?! Have you tried that?

[@mrassiwala2000]

Can we used for paper coating

[@andrewbeaton3302]

I dig it! Would love to see a video on Carrot cellulose composites! I tried by my self a couple of times.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Great suggestion mate

[@crazyrayuk36]

Brilliant. Could it be used as casing for the printed batteries?

[@Barskor1]

Good question.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

not this version mate no

[@crazyrayuk36]

@@ThinkingandTinkering ok buddy. Have you found any that have potential for this application?

[@mrglasecki]

Using hemp seeds to extract the hemicelluloses Xylan xyloglucan pectin glycerin using acidic alcohol you might get the results your looking for usable biodegradable plastic Otherwise Using hemp Shiv (woody) and gasification reduce to biochar Using collected rain water leach the potassium hydroxide from the biochar using the KOH @ 1-10 part to remove the glycerin from cold press Hemp seed oil (Ballance is organic diesel) It will fix flexibility

[@peternorwood6161]

Hi Robert have you seen the scitech daily article on laser etched aluminium making desalination /purification of water .Rochester uni I think sounds like a job for your talents, excellent content as always !

[@MaineGreenCrabs]

How does it hold up to water once plasticized?

[@gr8fng]

So I'm thinking you could psyllium rather than corn flour ... ooh exciting thank you 😊

[@geodeaholicm4889]

very cool, though seaweed of any variety is a little scarce in the scorching deserts of west texas. in town there would be lawn grass clippings available, & in the fall leaves shed from the trees in town. would those likely provide acceptable raw materials?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

you can just buy seaweed you know

[@cyrus3696]

THANK YOU AGAIN

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@cyrus3696]

@@ThinkingandTinkering found you on twitter, now i will follow u (not like a stoker lol)

[@Graham_Wideman]

@@cyrus3696 stalker?

[@Buzzhumma]

I think you can do simillar with prawn shells . Maybe get prawn crackers from asain grocery . The one that expand iand puff up in boiling oil!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

yep the base portion there is chitin

[@Buzzhumma]

Robert Murray-Smith so how to disolve and cross polymer?

[@jasonwitt8619]

Add two tablespoons of baking soda and a half of cup of elmer's glue and the whole thing will become fireproof and if you put carbon powder in it, then it will become conductive and fireproof. I have actually done this with great results.

[@jasonwitt8619]

Of course keep in mind that the elmer's glue is used if you don't have seaweed and you don't have to cook the recipe I just mentioned.

[@Claudiadavena]

You’re amazing thank you

[@ericpham4644]

It made best jelly for food too

[@gbrecycle8347]

Hi, it's wonderful. is it possible to make pellets after for extrusion?

[@mteca5093]

Can you make the IBM seaweed battery ??

[@Barskor1]

IBM lifted the veil this week on a new battery for EVs, consumer devices, and electric grid storage that it says could be built from minerals and compounds found in seawater. (By contrast, many present-day batteries must source precious minerals like cobalt from dangerous and exploitative political regimes.) The battery is also touted as being non-flammable and able to recharge 80 percent of its capacity in five minutes.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

dunno

[@lokshreve]

I am using Sargassum seaweed, which is another type of brown seaweed in the same proportion as suggested by the video. However, it is not forming a film, and the water is evaporating leaving a powdery residue behind. Any thoughts to make it work?

[@alexguthrie4170]

Can I ask, how long did this take to set and harden?

[@petertaylor-gill647]

Could this recipe work with green seaweeds such as sea lettuce? Sea lettuce grows in abundance on our beaches over the summer but my experiments so far have yielded a soft, tearable rubbery end product.

[@kelvinsparks4651]

I wonder if adding a plant or animal based oil will waterproof it too, also something like rosin for flexibility?

[@gegala1]

I might have missed this past, but what is the name of the seaweed and just why seaweed anyway? What do special about seaweed?

[@makamsidhura]

Can we use coconut shell powder to make it stronger n insulating

[@gaichanghliupanmei2539]

This is awesome. I'm thinking of making a bioplastic from algae too. Can I just order any algal powder to make this? Also the color is there a way to make it white?

[@subiem3221]

Hi Robert, thank you for the video. I need to make a bio rubbery substance that can be extruded into a 3d printer. Can you tell me what you would suggest I do with this plastic to attain this more rubbery substance?

[@richbutnotfamous1158]

Hi Robert, really interesting video, thanks for uploading! I have a bit of a story and a couple of questions... I want to build an earthship (I'm assuming you know what that is, if not it's worth looking up) as my home but current uk legislation prevents anyone living in one because of the use of car tyres. The specific building regulation is to do with the fact that the tyres have been designated as a waste product and therefore not fit for purpose in construction. So it occurred to me a year or so ago about potentially using a bio plastic and casting tyre like moulds to house the rammed earth. My questions are, is this kind of plastic suitable for that kind of construction, in terms of durability, longevity and insulatory properties?

[@curtispandakyutestilo9234]

is it edible?

[@puffinjuice]

Isnt this just a starch based bioplastic? What does the seaweed do?

[@ronaldwidd1516]

You could add paper fibres for a better paper mache clay recipe.

[@meettkamal8559]

great idea sir

[@peterlang777]

Interesting robert! Good job!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@peterlang777]

@@ThinkingandTinkering it reminds me of galalith! You see my new videos on graphene hematene water powered batteries. I am trying a new design!

[@barrybretz6073]

Would this strengthen a fiberglass cloth into a strong product? Maybe overcoat as well.

[@maharanimhr0464]

Wow. nice.. i have a project to make it too. but i use kappa carageenan with maltodextrin crosslink. the final product is a hard capsule shell. however, has not formed as expected. Instead, it forms 2 phases, the karatene settles and cannot be printed. do you think the problem is with the carrageenan brand or in the structure of the two materials?

[@kinchan3334]

Suggestion: Greeting from the US, I would love to see you try using Coffee Grounds as an additive. I have been watching a lot of gardening videos lately and stumbled upon a way to obtain large amounts of coffee grounds for free(I use it to sorta act like a multch/long term fertilizer). Your local coffee shops typically are giving it away for free by the poundfuls depending on the location and customers. Cheers

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Great suggestion!

[@marfabian5134]

Is adding starch a requirement? I've been adding only glycerine to the mixture to add some flexibility to it. Was wondering about the use of starch in the mixture

[@annamolly1261]

Take a look at Psyllium Husk, it's a good gelatinizer

[@emmaxu2965]

wondering if this dissolve in water

[@alexander-zf4bz]

What types of plastic could you produce from the bioresourse-seaweed?

[@fr_greywolf.]

Hi Robert Can you please tell me which kind of alage is used for making a foam now a days it's in flip flop industry.

[@mikewillemse3761]

perfect to make drinking straws.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

that would be a good one

[@Livefreeman]

I know starch is what makes the polymer, what is the function of seaweed in this mix? does it only add a fiber to make the plastic stronger? can I use any type of weed or grass or is seaweed a must have ingredient? I don't live near a sea, so I want to know if there is an alternative to the seaweed ingredient.

[@tcl1310]

What did you do to get it to dry? If air dried then how long did it take? If oven dried, what were the settings you used?

[@raziel3726]

Genius!!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers. mate

[@lukastyn]

Hi, I’m doing a university project on this. Any way I can get it touch with you?

[@망고90]

It seems eco-friendly to make bio-plastics, not petroleum-based on oil. However, bioplastics that need to be decomposed with some heat are having a hard time processing them after production. PHA, which decomposes without heat, looks better in the future than PLA, where raw plastic decomposes only into heat. In the future, PHA materials will become more perfect eco-friendly materials. Is A Seawed Bioplastic decomposed without heat?