Gattaca

Creating an Adhesive from Old Milk

-Research Question:

Does the age of milk used affect the quality of the glue acquired from it?

-Abstract:

The theme of this year’s science fair was to create useful products out of waste materials, at a low and practical cost, such that the products can actually be used for day to day purposes. We decided to generate glue out of old milk that people generally throw away and no longer consume. This glue would not be industrial strength glue which could be applied in carpentry and conjoining heavy objects. It would be low to moderate strength glue which could be used for purposes such as joining two pieces of paper, thus terminating the need for staplers and a constant supply of staples. Our main research in this science fair would be to find out whether the age of the milk used affects the quality of the glue that can be derived from it. We conducted this experiment by creating two samples of glues; one from fresh milk, and one from old milk, that had been left out overnight. After producing the glues, mainly by adding vinegar to milk, we would test and compare their strengths. A ph paper would be used to test their level of acidity, which would also be an indicator of their strength. This research would be supported by two investigations; one that would compare the strength of the glue we produced from aged milk to that of other artificial glues (adhesives) produced in markets. The other investigation would find out whether using powdered milk affects the quality of the glue that can be produced from it.

-Hypothesis:

Yes, the age of the milk used affects the quality of the glue acquired from it. The older the milk, the stronger the glue acquired from it would be as the milk being used to make the glue would be slightly more acidic than fresh milk.

-Background Information:

-Glues have been around for thousands of years. Beeswax and tar are some of the earliest known examples.

-Glues are part of a...