Collaborate Disseminate
Two of the main problems with traditional plastics are the facts that they’re made from non-renewable petroleum, and they stick around for centuries once discarded. A new alternative, however, is made from existing waste, and should biodegrade within a… Continue reading New bioplastic is made from waste, and biodegrades in 12 months
While it’s possible to 3D-print plastic or metal items, printing single items made of both materials is still quite difficult. Scientists have developed a new method of doing so, however, that could lead to increased production of fully functional 3D-p… Continue reading Hybrid 3D printing tech produces plastic-metal items
Back in 2018, scientists in Japan made the key discovery of a bacterium with a natural appetite for PET plastics. This raised the prospect of a low-cost solution to some of the most common forms of plastic pollution, and now scientists have used this b… Continue reading Engineered “super-enzyme” gobbles plastic waste at six times the speed
Plastic is a material with a severe environmental footprint, from the tiny, busted up particles that pollute the ocean to the initial production that pieces it all together. Scientists taking aim at the formative stages of this process have made a brea… Continue reading Sulfur-gobbling bacteria offers a pathway to fossil-fuel-free plastics
One of the great unknowns when it comes to plastic pollution is what kind of threat tiny fragments can pose to the health of living organisms. Scientists have turned to human tissue for answers, and discovered evidence of plastic fragments in every sin… Continue reading Study of human tissues finds plastic particles in every sample
While we know that huge amounts of plastic waste are generated each day, and that much of it is broken down into tiny fragments called microplastics, we don’t really know much about the risks they pose to animals and humans. With this in mind, scientis… Continue reading New technique reveals the plastics we consume with a plate of seafood
Part of the great difficulty in tracing the path of plastic pollution through the environment is the processes that break it down into tiny pieces along the way, such as the corrosive forces of ocean currents or ultraviolet light. Recently, scientists … Continue reading Common crustacean turns microplastics into “nanoplastics” in days
Traditional plastics are so poor at conducting electricity that they are often used to insulate against it instead, making it the shielding material of choice for things like wiring and circuit boards. But scientists have long hoped to flip the script … Continue reading Conductive plastic uses sandwiched materials for extra transparency
With awareness of the damaging effects of plastic pollution growing all the time, the search is very much on for greener alternatives. Japan’s NEC Corp has today made commercially available a material it hopes can be a part of the solution, introducing… Continue reading NEC mass produces plant-based bioplastic that breaks down in four years
If there’s one way of getting automobiles to use less gas, it’s by lowering their weight – and the engine is a particularly heavy part of the car. With that in mind, European researchers have now created a plastic camshaft module, which they claim offe… Continue reading Plastic camshaft module claimed to be lighter, greener than aluminum