UW–Platteville professors turn spoiled milk into biodegradable plastic for 3D printing

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (WMTV) - A dramatic surge in milk dumping by dairy farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic spurred two University of Wisconsin-Platteville professors to seek an innovative solution: transforming spoiled milk into a biodegradable plastic suitable for 3D printing.

The discovery could reduce food waste, fight plastic pollution and even create a new revenue stream for Wisconsin’s dairy farmers, experts say.

“When COVID hit, there was significant dumping of milk,” said Dr. John Obielodan, chair of UW–Platteville’s Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department. “We saw it on the news and thought, this is a significant economic waste. What can we do to mitigate this loss to farmers? Milk has protein — there’s casein and whey — and we thought, maybe we can repurpose those mater