As plastic use soars, researchers examine biodegradable solutions

How long does plastic take to decompose? The answer is terrifying

Plastic is one of humanity’s most useful inventions... and one of its most persistent problems. Plastic has become so ingrained in modern life that it’s easy to forget how long it lingers once tossed away. The truth is that plastic’s decomposition rate is so slow that most plastic sticks around far longer than we do. Unlike natural materials like wood or paper, plastic is synthetic. Its tightly bonded carbon structure doesn’t break down easily, …

Plastic-eating bacteria boost growing business of bioremediation

Bacteria, fungi and plants can be grown and engineered to remove plastics, chemicals and pollutants from contaminated soil and water.

Researchers develop groundbreaking material that could help solve massive issue with common household task: 'We are helping improve the quality'

Researchers in England have developed a new kind of adhesive that could revolutionize the plastics recycling industry. A team of researchers at the University of Reading created an easily dissolvable adhesive that could lead to cleaner and more effective plastic recycling. It's common for adhesives used to attach labels to plastic to leave behind residue when the label is removed, hindering the recyclability of that plastic. Plastic needs to be …

Trash talk: As plastic use soars, researchers examine biodegradable solutions

Researchers document a multi-faceted global snapshot of the environmental aspects and trends surrounding single-use plastics in a review article. The researchers state that the largest area of application for biodegradable plastic materials is the packaging segment, which accounts for about half of single-use plastic production.

As plastic use soars, researchers examine biodegradable solutions

While biodegradable plastics currently account for 0.5% of the hundreds of millions of tons of plastic produced annually, a growing demand for the alternative reflects consumer awareness and corporate response.

How do bioplastics degrade in nature? A participatory experiment called Plastic Generations aims to answer this question and find alternatives to traditional, non-biodegradable plastic. Volunteers who agree to participate by registering on the program's website will receive a kit consisting of a frame made from biodegradable plastic and several strips of biodegradable polyester (PHA). They will then have to (…) Read more In brief / Pollution , P…