Collaborate Disseminate
We may soon be finishing off a box of cereal and then eating the bag it came in. Researchers have turned to bacteria-produced cellulose to create a composite packaging material to replace plastic. The material is not only robust and sustainable to prod… Continue reading Bacterial cellulose used to create new edible packaging material
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and plastic waste are two of the most pressing environmental problems facing the world today, but a device designed by Cambridge scientists may help tackle both at once. The team has demonstrated a new version of their so… Continue reading Cambridge reactor converts plastic waste and CO2 into useful chemicals
A new study has found that, globally, micro- and nanoplastics and plastic additives are widespread across our food supply. While we have an understanding of how they get there, we don’t know a lot about their effects on human health, food safety and se… Continue reading At every stage from farm to table, more microplastics enter your food
The Ocean Cleanup is possibly best known for deploying huge trash collectors to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but has also sought to prevent plastic waste from reaching the oceans. The latest Interceptor vessel will prevent around 1,000 tons of plas… Continue reading Ocean Cleanup looks to halt flow of plastic trash from Indonesian river
Swiss scientists have discovered new cold-adapted microorganisms that can degrade different types of plastic at temperatures lower than currently required. The discovery is the first step towards developing a more cost-effective, industrial-scale metho… Continue reading Newly discovered cold-adapted microbes digest plastic at low temperatures
As one of the most commonly used plastics in the world, polypropylene presents a global environmental problem because of issues related to its recycling. Researchers have developed a new way of breaking down this troublesome plastic by enlisting the he… Continue reading Plastic-eating fungi could solve polypropylene pollution problem
As one of the most commonly used plastics in the world, polypropylene presents a global environmental problem because of issues related to its recycling. Researchers have developed a new way of breaking down this troublesome plastic by enlisting the he… Continue reading Plastic-eating fungi could solve polypropylene pollution problem
In the midst of the pandemic in 2021, we were throwing out three million face masks per minute. Scientists sounded the alarm early, but the response to cope has seen a lot end up in our waterways.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceTags: Nanotechnology, O… Continue reading Safe upcycle of pandemic plastics creates lucrative nanotechnology
Although disposable plastic straws are being phased out in some countries, their “greener” replacements have a few shortcomings of their own. Well, scientists have now developed bioplastic straws that don’t get soggy, but do biodegrade when discarded.C… Continue reading Non-soggy biodegradable drinking straws made from wood waste
Scientists have described a new disease called plasticosis, which is directly caused by – you guessed it – plastic waste in the environment. While the disease has so far only been identified in the digestive tracts of seabirds, the scale of the problem… Continue reading “Plasticosis:” New disease in birds highlights dangers of microplastics