Collaborate Disseminate
Engineers at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) have developed a device that can efficiently convert captured carbon dioxide into ethylene, a plastic precursor material. When run using renewable energy, the technique could make for net negative e… Continue reading “Net negative” system converts captured CO2 into plastic precursor
Scientists have turned plastic into diamonds. Using high-powered lasers, the team zapped samples of PET, the common material used in plastic bottles, to produce intense heat and pressure to form tiny diamonds that may naturally rain down on planets lik… Continue reading X-ray laser converts plastic into diamonds, recreating Uranus rain
Although plant-based polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastic is acclaimed for its biodegradability, it can take quite a long time to degrade if the conditions aren’t quite right. Bearing this fact in mind, Washington State University scientists have devised a… Continue reading New process converts old PLA plastic into a better 3D-printing resin
Scientists experimenting with next-generation plastics at Finland’s University of Turku have developed a form of the material with some impressive capabilities, most notably an ability to quickly break down after use. The eco-friendly “supramolecular” … Continue reading New supramolecular plastic heals itself in an instant
Microplastics are a growing environmental problem, but a new study could help cut out a decent chunk of them. The authors showed that silk could be a biodegradable replacement for microbeads and plastic particles that are often added to cosmetics, pain… Continue reading MIT’s silk capsules aim to take a bite out of microplastic pollution
Plastics are tough and versatile materials, which is great when they’re in use but not so good when they end up in the environment. Scientists at EPFL have now developed a new PET-like plastic material derived from waste plant matter that can be chemic… Continue reading Plant-based plastic strong as PET, degrades into sugars in the environment
Plastic is infamous for its ability to persist in the environment for many years, and while alternatives made from biomass may well address this issue, they don’t always offer the same performance during use. Scientists have created a new form of biopl… Continue reading Bioplastic made with vanilla bean extract self-destructs under UV light
The ongoing discovery of microplastics in remote, seemingly pristine corners of the world continues to add important detail to a troubling picture of widespread pollution, and the latest finding takes the threat into new terrain. In freshly fallen snow… Continue reading First microplastics discovered in freshly fallen Antarctic snow
If humanity is ever going to curb our waste problem, we’ll need to get creative with recycling and reusing materials. In a new study, researchers at Rice University and Ford’s Research and Innovation Center have demonstrated how waste plastic from old … Continue reading Waste plastics from old cars “flashed” into graphene to go in new cars
Scientists are continuing to uncover the true extent of our plastic pollution problem, and increasingly we are seeing an emphasis placed on its potential effects on the human body. The latest development in this area comes from scientists in the Nether… Continue reading Plastic particles found in the human bloodstream for the first time