Given that less than 10 percent of synthetic plastics are recycled, the petroleum-derived, non-biodegradable materials continue to accumulate across the planet, covering stretches of land and the ocean floor. Microplastics ...
Biochemistry
Dec 20, 2021
0
205
Bioplastics—biodegradable plastics made from biological substances rather than petroleum—can be created in a more economical and environmentally friendly way from the byproducts of corn stubble, grasses and mesquite agricultural ...
Materials Science
Jun 30, 2021
1
15
Biodegradable plastics are supposed to be good for the environment. But because they are specifically made to degrade quickly, they cannot be recycled.
Condensed Matter
Jun 29, 2021
1
17
Efforts to shift from petrochemical plastics to renewable and biodegradable plastics have proven tricky—the production process can require toxic chemicals and is expensive, and the mechanical strength and water stability ...
Materials Science
Mar 25, 2021
3
431
As the world's most popular shoe, flip-flops account for a troubling percentage of plastic waste that ends up in landfills, on seashores and in our oceans. Scientists at the University of California San Diego have spent years ...
Materials Science
Aug 7, 2020
0
470
For the health of the planet and our own bodies, plastics of the future ideally should not be made of plastics at all but should still be able to function like plastics. One particularly important job that plastics perform ...
Materials Science
Dec 18, 2019
0
91
A tide of public momentum is swelling against the crisis of petroleum-based plastics, which are sitting in our landfills, floating in our oceans, and showing up in our air and even our food.
Materials Science
Nov 20, 2019
0
51
A polymer that self-destructs? While once a fictional idea, new polymers now exist that are rugged enough to ferry packages or sensors into hostile territory and vaporize immediately upon a military mission's completion. ...
Materials Science
Aug 26, 2019
4
821
A new Tel Aviv University study describes a process to make bioplastic polymers that don't require land or fresh water—resources that are scarce in much of the world. The polymer is derived from microorganisms that feed ...
Polymers
Dec 24, 2018
17
1862
Imagine throwing your empty plastic water bottle into a household composting bin that breaks down the plastic and produces biogas to help power your home. Now, researchers have taken an early step toward this futuristic scenario ...
Environment
Aug 29, 2018
0
18
