Plastic-Eating Super-Enzyme “Cocktail” Offers New Hope for Plastic Waste Solution
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. A second…
Plastic
Plastic Flow Into Ocean Expected to Triple by 2040, But Action Could Stem Tide More Than 80%
Research lays out viable pathway to “break the plastic wave.” A new analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ finds that without immediate and…
Solid Acid Nano-Sponges Transform CO2 Into Fuel and Plastic Waste Into Useful Chemicals
Solid acids are amongst the most essential heterogeneous catalysts, which have the potential to replace environmentally harmful liquid acids, in some of the most important…
MIT Chemists Make Tough Thermoset Plastics Recyclable
New method for producing thermoset plastics allows them to be broken down more easily after use. Thermosets, which include epoxies, polyurethanes, and rubber used for…
Plastic You Put in Recycling Bin May End Up in Asian Waters
Study Finds That Plastic Recycling From Europe Being Dumped in Asian Waters Up to 31% of plastic exported for recycling is not recycled at all….
Each Year More Than 1000 Tons of Plastic Rains on Western US Protected Lands
Microplastic particles and fibers spiral through the Earth system, accumulating even in protected wilderness areas and national parks in the western US. Utah State University…
Microfiber Forensics: How to Reduce Microfiber Loss From Washing Clothes
Almost 13,000 tonnes of microfibers, equivalent to two rubbish trucks every day, are being released into European marine environments every year. A new study has…
Superworms Digest Plastic: Superpower Made Possible by Bacterial Sidekicks
Resembling giant mealworms, superworms (Zophobas atratus) are beetle larvae that are often sold in pet stores as feed for reptiles, fish and birds. In addition…
Ultrastable Catalyst Could Lead to More Efficient and Cheaper Production of Propylene From Propane
A group of Japanese scientists has developed an ultrastable, selective catalyst to dehydrogenate propane — an essential process to produce the key petrochemical substance of…
The Missing 99%? Highest Ever Level of Microplastics Found on Seafloor
An international research project has revealed the highest levels of microplastic ever recorded on the seafloor, with up to 1.9 million pieces in a thin…
Common BPA Free Plastics Use Chemicals That May Lead to Increased Blood Pressure
Common bisphenol A (BPA) substitutes can affect the developing fetus and cause hypertension in later life, suggests a rodent study accepted for presentation at ENDO…
Microplastic Pollution May Be Generated Simply by Opening Plastic Bags and Bottles
Opening plastic packaging, such as plastic bags and bottles may contribute to the generation of small amounts of microplastics — small plastic particles less than…
Deadly Attraction: Why Sea Turtles Eat Ocean Plastics
One week is all it takes for a piece of plastic floating in the ocean to begin to smell like turtle food. New research from…
Scientists Warn That BPA-Free Plastic Products Could Be Just as Harmful to Human Health
University of Missouri scientists find BPA alternative, bisphenol S, could negatively affect both a mother’s placenta and potentially a developing baby’s brain. Using “BPA-free” plastic…
Microplastic Pollution Found in Deep Sediments on the Ocean Floor
Microplastic pollution in the world’s oceans is a growing problem, and most studies of the issue have focused on land-based sources, such as discarded plastic…
A Sustainable Alternative to Crude Oil: Bio-Based High-Performance Polyamide
The synthesis of bio-based high-performance polyamide from biogenic residues. A research team from the Fraunhofer Society and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) led by…
Bioplastic Generation Using Urban Biowaste
In a circular economy, city waste being turned into resources is of great importance, especially considering more than 70% of the inhabitants in Europe live…
Revealing the Structure of Bacterial Hitchhikers on Plastic Trash in the Ocean
Millions of tons of plastic trash are fouling the world’s ocean, most of it tiny pieces of microplastic less than a quarter-inch in size. Even…