Collaborate Disseminate
By making alterations to the plastic manufacturing process, scientists hope to produce forms of the ubiquitous material that can break down far more safely and quickly in the environment than current versions do. Researchers in China have now demonstra… Continue reading Novel plastic disintegrates in a week in sunlight and oxygen
Central to the environmental damage caused by plastics is the length of time they take to break down, but researchers are starting to demonstrate how naturally occurring microbes could lend a helping hand. The latest example of this comes from scientis… Continue reading Stomach fluid of cows found to break down common plastic
We are seeing a lot exciting advances being made in the world of eco-friendly plastics, where forms of the material are being produced that safely break down in the environment in a few years or even months. While these are a decidedly green alternativ… Continue reading Compostable cutlery turned to foam in soda-inspired recycling process
Over past few years, Lego has been taking some steps toward more sustainable practices for its plastic toys, outlining plans for more eco-friendly playthings. The company has just revealed the first prototype of its classic brick element crafted from r… Continue reading Lego reveals first ever bricks made from recycled plastic bottles
Developing forms of plastic that don’t take centuries to break down after use is a common objective among eco-conscious material scientists, and lately we’re seeing how bacteria might offer a helping hand. Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have… Continue reading Bacteria converts degraded plastic bottles into vanilla flavoring
By mimicking the self-assembling microstructures that give spider silk its incredible strength, scientists at the University of Cambridge have produced a plant-based film with the strength of common single-use plastics, offering a “vegan” eco-friendly … Continue reading “Vegan spider silk” offers a plant-based replacement for common plastic
Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute have spent the last few years working on futuristic forms of plastic that do much more than act as take-out containers or straws for your iced latte, and they’re starting to make some exciting inroads. The t… Continue reading Plastics with embedded enzymes could self-clean or self-destruct
Discarded carpets inevitably take up a lot of space in landfills, or create a great deal of smoke when incinerated. Soon, however, it may be possible to recover high-grade polypropylene from synthetic carpets that would otherwise just end up in the dum… Continue reading Recycling process pulls “virgin-standard” polypropylene from carpets
The pervasive nature of plastic pollution makes it an incredibly difficult problem to tackle, but lately we’re seeing how microscopic organisms might offer us a helping hand. This has included the discoveries of bacterium that can quickly break down co… Continue reading Sticky bacterial biofilm traps and sinks microplastics for recycling
Plastic is a major environmental issue, since most of it doesn’t break down easily – and even when it does, it usually forms microplastic pieces that pose their own problems. A new type of compostable plastic is embedded with enzymes that, when trigger… Continue reading Embedded enzymes make for compostable plastics that break down in days