Collaborate Disseminate
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
Greenhouse gases and plastic waste are two of the biggest environmental problems the world faces today. A new reactor from Cambridge is designed to tackle both at once, converting CO2 and used plastic bottles into useful materials, powered entirely by … Continue reading Solar reactor converts both CO2 and plastic waste into useful products
While we know much of the plastic waste we generate winds up in bodies of water, what happens to it from there is still a large unknown. A new study documenting the accumulation of microplastic particles on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea has shed s… Continue reading Amount of microplastics on Mediterranean Sea floor triple in 20 years
Plastics are made to last, which is great while they’re being used but not so great after they’re discarded. Now chemists at the University of Konstanz have developed a new kind of plastic that has all the durability of regular plastic, but biodegrades… Continue reading Chemical “breaking points” let new type of plastic biodegrade in days
The more scientists hone their techniques when it comes to studying plastic pollution, the more we understand about the way it moves through the environment, and it can often make for some uncomfortable reading. Researchers in Auckland have used advanc… Continue reading 3 million bottles worth of microplastics falling on Auckland each year