NASA Satellite Lets Scientists Track Ocean Microplastics From Space
Scientists from the University of Michigan have developed an innovative way to use NASA satellite data to track the movement of tiny pieces of plastic…
Plastic News
Microbes in Cow Stomachs Can Break Down Plastic – Sustainable Way to Reduce Plastic Litter
Bacteria found in the rumen, one of the compartments that make up the cow stomach, can break down plastics, representing an eco-friendly way to reduce…
Worrying New Insights Into the Chemicals in Plastics – Significant Risk to People and the Environment
Plastic is practical, cheap and incredibly popular. Every year, more than 350 million metric tons are produced worldwide. These plastics contain a huge variety of…
Tracking Ocean Microplastics From Space – See the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Like Never Before
Satellites reveal ocean microplastic fluctuation in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and releases from the Yangtze River in China. An estimated eight million tons of…
Biologists Raise Alarm: Brain Damage Caused by Even Small Amounts of Plasticizers
The plasticizers contained in many everyday objects can impair important brain functions in humans. Biologists from the University of Bayreuth warn of this danger in…
Seabird Eggs Contaminated With Chemical Cocktail of Plastic Additives
Chemical additives used in plastic production have been found in herring gull eggs, new research shows. Phthalates are a group of chemicals added to plastics…
Bacteria-Sized Metallic Robots Take On Microplastics – And Win by Breaking Them Down
Small pieces of plastic are everywhere, stretching from urban environments to pristine wilderness. Left to their own devices, it can take hundreds of years for…
Science and Social Media Show How Ship’s Plastic Cargo Dispersed From Florida to Norway
A ship’s container lost overboard in the North Atlantic has resulted in printer cartridges washing up everywhere from the coast of Florida to northern Norway,…
Innovative New Technology Converts Waste Plastics to Jet Fuel – In Just an Hour
Washington State University researchers have developed an innovative way to convert plastics to ingredients for jet fuel and other valuable products, making it easier and…
Revolutionary Eco-Friendly Plastic: The Future Looks Bright for Infinitely Recyclable Plastic
A new environmental and technological analysis suggests that a revolutionary eco-friendly plastic is almost ready to hit the shelves. Plastics are a part of nearly…
Microplastics Found in Europe’s Largest Ice Cap – In a Remote and Pristine Area of Vatnajökull Glacier
In a recent article in Sustainability, scientists from Reykjavik University (RU), the University of Gothenburg, and the Icelandic Meteorological Office describe their finding of microplastic…
Plastic Pollution in the Deep Sea: A Geological Perspective on a Global Problem
A new focus article in the May issue of Geology summarizes research on plastic waste in marine and sedimentary environments. Authors I.A. Kane of the Univ. of…
Microbiologists Have Found a Way to Use Bacteria to Remove Microplastics From the Environment
Microbiologists have found a way to use bacteria to trap microplastics, removing them from the environment and making them easier to recycle. Today at the…
Making Cleaner, Greener, Biodegradable Plastics From Waste Fish Parts
Polyurethanes, a type of plastic, are nearly everywhere — in shoes, clothes, refrigerators, and construction materials. But these highly versatile materials can have a major…
Turning Wood Into Recyclable, Biodegradable Plastic
Plastics are one of the world’s largest polluters, taking hundreds of years to degrade in nature. A research team, led by YSE professor Yuan Yao…
Microplastics Turn Into “Hubs” for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Pathogens
It’s estimated that an average-sized wastewater treatment plant serving roughly 400,000 residents will discharge up to 2,000,000 microplastic particles into the environment each day. Yet,…
New Catalyst Makes Styrene Manufacturing Cheaper and Greener
Chemical engineering researchers have developed a new catalyst that significantly increases yield in styrene manufacturing, while simultaneously reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. “Styrene…
Microbiologists Modify Bacteria to Produce Climate-Neutral and Rapidly Degradable Bioplastics
Cyanobacteria Could Revolutionize the Plastic Industry Microbiologists at the University of Tübingen modify bacteria to produce climate-neutral and rapidly degradable bioplastics. Cyanobacteria produce plastic naturally…
