# CC06 Chrondus Crispus (Carrageenan)

Using the seaweed from CC05, I tried to make more bioplastic by blending the seaweed goop in water and applying heat. 

Ingredients:

1. Water (100 mL boiling or hot)
2. The seaweed solids from CC05

Procedure:

1. When you strain the goop and the seaweed with a mesh strainer in CC05, collect whatever is in the mesh strainer. 
2. Put what you collected from the mesh strainer into a beaker.
3. Let the beaker sit for a week. Do not touch it or add water. Don't worry, mold will not grow. 
4. After a week, dump the contents of the beaker into a blender. I used an immersion blender for this, but other beakers should work just as well.
5. Add the boiling or hot water to the blender. 
6. Blend for a few minutes so you can obtain a very thick and homogenous slurry. This step takes some time but is critical for a cosmetically-appealing bioplastic. Imagine the slurry being a milkshake - you don't want any seaweed bits in it - so you need to blend for a while. 
7. Pour the slurry into a pan. 
8. Heat the pan until it reaches just below boiling and gelling starts happening. This could take between 3-10 minutes depending on quantity, temperature, and preferred bioplastic thickness. 
9. Cast your gelled slurry onto a glass plate or silicone mold. 
10. Wait 5 days and peel off your bioplastic!

Images of the process:

![](https://829019481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQKxP3dLVX23EmnpaB5PS%2Fuploads%2FC1KG3p0y0rJxqxxRY68F%2FIMG_2489.jpeg?alt=media\&token=7ab3a55a-3160-4219-9f19-2675aedf85bb)![](https://829019481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQKxP3dLVX23EmnpaB5PS%2Fuploads%2F0dvfTyBQV7KOUHTDoB2Z%2FIMG_2490.jpeg?alt=media\&token=7c139644-6856-4d40-aced-0e504d7d33d9)![](https://829019481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQKxP3dLVX23EmnpaB5PS%2Fuploads%2Fn1ywXX2DKJl2Y5apNJ3e%2FIMG_2494.jpeg?alt=media\&token=56747ff3-bad7-4a69-b22c-9ffecfb343a2)![](https://829019481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQKxP3dLVX23EmnpaB5PS%2Fuploads%2FcdE4mbQxqnZMEpWmqBKn%2FIMG_2493.jpeg?alt=media\&token=23b304ee-d5f7-4a7b-9dad-d05f874c199f)

Before drying:

![](https://829019481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQKxP3dLVX23EmnpaB5PS%2Fuploads%2FfPqEK6CyHqq6OTWMzDFL%2FIMG_2495.jpeg?alt=media\&token=3f52bffb-c7de-480b-bc48-055dbefb0477)

During drying:

![](https://829019481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQKxP3dLVX23EmnpaB5PS%2Fuploads%2Fv7bm5W4os9rLawEcxk2o%2FIMG_2520.jpeg?alt=media\&token=856aa9de-e51f-4061-be6d-c261f1fdda72)

After drying:

![](https://829019481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQKxP3dLVX23EmnpaB5PS%2Fuploads%2FzSC3ksfYuiznbFFRqKUA%2FIMG_2582.jpeg?alt=media\&token=162424a6-de50-4019-80bb-f71bfc436e53)

Results:

This turned out to be a success, albeit the plastic smells a little funny. It's not very transparent either. But it is really flexible and thin, with some strength and structure to it. And it doesn't stick to itself!