Accurately tracking how plastic biodegrades

Modern agriculture uses a lot of plastic, especially in the form of mulch film that farmers use to cover field soils. This keeps the soils moist for crops, suppresses weeds and promotes crop growth.

Scientists develop a new printable, wearable insect repellent

A new type of insect-repellent delivery device has been developed by scientists from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). With the help of a 3D printer, the active ingredient is first "encapsulated" and formed ...

Can biodegradable polymers live up to the hype?

As consumers and corporations alike become more environmentally conscious, the chemical industry is working to find solutions to the plastic waste crisis. One idea is to use biodegradable polymers known as polyhydroxyalkanoates ...

New process makes 'biodegradable' plastics truly compostable

Biodegradable plastics have been advertised as one solution to the plastic pollution problem bedeviling the world, but today's "compostable" plastic bags, utensils and cup lids don't break down during typical composting and ...

COVID-19: Is the future more plastic?

Dr. Fengwei (David) Xie is currently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellow at the International Institute for Nanocomposites Manufacturing (IINM), WMG, University of Warwick. His research focuses on "green"/bio-polymers ...

Sustainable adhesives of the future won't stick around

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 ...

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