Plastic bottles, punnets, wrap—lightweight packaging made of PET plastic becomes a problem if it is not recycled. Scientists at Leipzig University have now discovered a highly efficient enzyme that degrades PET in record ...
Biochemistry
May 18, 2022
2
4513
Striking a blow against a pernicious form of pollution, California lawmakers on Thursday passed the nation's most far-reaching restrictions on single-use plastics and packaging, with Gov. Gavin Newsom expected to sign the ...
Environment
Jun 30, 2022
0
102
The scientists who re-engineered the plastic-eating enzyme PETase have now created an enzyme 'cocktail' which can digest plastic up to six times faster.
Materials Science
Sep 28, 2020
2
2908
A global plastic waste crisis is building, with major implications for health and the environment. Under its so-called "National Sword" policy, China has sharply reduced imports of foreign scrap materials. As a result, piles ...
Environment
Aug 17, 2018
0
29
Bio-based plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) were invented to help solve the plastic waste crisis, but they often end up making waste management more challenging.
Polymers
Nov 17, 2023
0
77
Recycling in the U.S. is broken. In 1960, Americans generated 2.68 pounds of garbage per day; by 2017, it had grown to an average of 4.51 pounds. And while many Americans dutifully put items into their recycling bins, much ...
Environment
Mar 13, 2020
13
81
(PhysOrg.com) -- Northeastern engineering students and faculty researcher collaborate on prototype of apparatus that could drive electric power plants without fossil fuels.
Energy & Green Tech
May 10, 2010
0
3
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of Leeds and Durham University have solved a long-standing problem that could revolutionize the way new plastics are developed.
Polymers
Sep 29, 2011
10
0
Most plastic "advanced recycling" plants in the United States aren't actually recycling plastic but instead converting it into a dirty fuel, while producing toxic waste in low-income communities, a study by a leading environmental ...
Environment
Mar 8, 2022
10
332
Most of the 150 million tons of plastics produced around the world every year end up in landfills, the oceans and elsewhere. Less than 9 percent of plastics are recycled in the United States, rising to about 30 percent in ...
Materials Science
Nov 17, 2017
1
377
