Producing Plastic...From Milk?

摘要

Begin this lesson by having students brainstorm plastic items they use daily. Since there are many different types of plastic, it may be hard for them to develop a broad statement defining a plastic. In general, plastics are materials that can be shaped or molded. Often people think of plastics as flexible, though many are rigid. Another important property is that most plastics are chemically inert to many reactants. A major focus of this phase is for students to relate their prior knowledge to the chemical engineering challenge of economically producing one type of plastic. Students will likely be surprised that plastic can be produced from milk proteins.